Breakdown
by solomonara
Summary: It all starts with a few pranks. It focuses mainly on Goten and Trunks at first, and oddly enough, neither is kidnapped...
1. Breakdown

Breakdown; Chapter one- Innocent Fun  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own anything Dragon ball/z/gt related so *don't* sue me! You won't get anything!  
  
Author Note; This story, like all my others (read them if you haven't or you will be slightly confused)  
stems from my Ice timeline (for all you traditionalists out there, no, the androids never came,  
no they never beat cell, but yes, they are still just as strong) But unlike my other ones, this one  
does not center entirly around Gohan *ducks flying vegetables* Hey hey hey! that doesn't mean he  
won't be in it! He'll still have a main role, but he won't be the cause of the story. Now then,  
as always, I have screwed up everyone's ages to fit the needs of my timeline, so instead of you  
all counting your fingers and toes, I did the math for you.  
  
Trunks- 17 and able to hit SSJ2 and bordering three (ok, I know there are technicalitys about not having  
a tail, but I don't know them. If you would like to tell me, put a comment in.)  
  
Goten- 16 and able to hit SSJ2  
  
Gohan- 28 and able to acheive his Mystic level  
  
Bra- 10 and able to hit Super Saiyen  
  
Goku and Vegeta can both hit SSJ 4. (ok, some sources tell me there are only three levels of   
Super Saiyen. Others tell me there are five. I remember someone rambling about 20- then again,  
he isn't all in his right mind... but the point is I don't know, and If you know any facts that  
are incorrect PLEASE tell me!) Oh yes, Gohan is married to Videl and they have Pan who is eight  
  
All right, lets get this show on the road! oh, and one more thing- I don't know the personalitys  
of Goten and Trunks that well, so I'm going on what I've heard. Now, for real this time! here we go!  
  
  
  
  
WHY had he let Goten talk him into this? It wasn't as if he didn't know what was going to   
happen. WHY did he have to go along with it? Trunks grinned to himself. The same reason Goten  
always went along with *his* pranks. It was fun and they knew it, even if the consequence was sometimes  
hiding out for a few days while the victim cooled down. But really, they hadn't played that sort  
of prank for a long time. Trunks allowed himself an outward smile. In a fit of nostalgia for the  
'old days', they had slightly tampered with the Gravitron machine. Vegita hadn't found out yet,  
but Trunks really didn't want to be in the way of his father's temper. Goten, of course, had stayed to  
see the results, knowing he could get out of there before Vegita was able to think clearly enough  
to accuse him of anything. Trunks would have stayed to, but he had the strange urge to be by himself.  
In the Capsule Corporation compund, nearly no matter where he went he could remain unbothered  
because it was so huge, but his prank ruined that. It definitely was not safe to be in the same  
general area as his father when he got angry. But if he wanted to be alone, why did he come to the city?  
  
Always teeming with people, this city was always jam packed full of noise. A regular dweller  
of the city would find nothing wrong with the constant traffic jams and the loud cursing of cab drivers as  
a foolish bicyclist or pedestrian cut him off, and Trunks didn't much mind the noise either. It  
was the people who bothered him. Through growing up, there had been a small amount of aliens who  
had come to Earth to carry off the Dragon Balls. These beings were almost always defeated easily  
by the Z fighters, sometimes without even breaking a sweat. But there were one or two occaisions where  
the enemy was actually tactful and seemingly had the upper hand for a short period of time. Before  
being squashed with Bulma's science and Goku and Vegeta's might.   
  
Trunks was haunted by what-ifs.  
What if that opponent had been slightly stronger. What if that opponent had been slightly smarter.  
What if the Z force had been slightly weaker. These caused him to be cautious of anything strange  
or out of the ordinary. No, he didn't jump every time someone looked at him strangely, or even stared  
openly. This was to be expected. He was the son of a famous genius. He was the son of a well known and  
destructive warrior. He had purple hair. But mostly, he was always followed by a flock of girls.  
Sometimes they stayed a block away, sometimes they 'casually' passed him by, careful to brush against  
him. He could sense them even now. Highly erratic and random chi's traveling close in a pack, at  
most, twenty feet away. How annoying. He came to get away from people and wound up in the city,  
surrounded by people and followed by girls. Suddenly the crowd was stifleing. He'd had his  
commune with technology, and now it was time to leave. He couldn't just take off- he didn't want that   
much attention. He needed to get out of the city, and then fly. The quickest way was back where  
he came, but that would mean through the herd of girls. straight ahead would take forever on foot.  
Trunks decided to try an alley. people didn't normally hang out in these dark crevices left between  
buildings for the obvious reason of muggers and and violence. Neither worried Trunks. The trick was  
to turn down the alley so that whomever was following you wouldn't notice. It had to be timed.  
  
The next alley he came upon was perfect. A bus had just halted, spilling enough people onto   
the sidewalk to sheild Trunks momentarily. He took this opportunity to duck in the alley, then waited, wondering   
if it had worked. Minutes later, a close-knit group of girls wandered slowly down the sidewalk,  
eyes glued ahead, wondering where their prey had got to. Trunks sighed, relieved. He still couldn't  
fly away, but now he could have a bit of solitude. Or maybe not. As he turned to begin his trek  
out of the city, he ran directly into someone and knocked the person down.   
  
'Aw crap, I'm not in the mood for this today,' he thought, thinking that the person was a   
mugger. He looked down- and saw that this was not a mugger at all. It was a girl, who had obviously  
been carrying a load of books because they were now scattered all over the alley. She was glaring   
at him.  
  
"Well?" she demanded, beginning to gather up the many books.  
  
"Well...what?" asked Trunks, a little confused. She wasn't swooning. She wasn't flirting.  
She was perfectly calm. Who was this girl?  
  
"Are you going to help me pick up my books or not? Men haven't changed at all." Changed from  
what? Trunks wondered. But he bent and helped her gather her books. When she had them all, the stack went  
over her head.  
  
"Do you want some help?" Trunks asked, trying to be polite to make up for earlier. The girl  
raised an eyebrow.  
  
"No. My mother told me not to go with strangers." Trunks stared. "I was kidding! No, I   
don't need any help. I live right near here. Thanks anyway." She walked out into the hustle and bustle  
of the city. Trunks sighed and continued. He had gone only a short way when a thought struck him.  
What was a girl with an armload of books doing in a dark alley?   
  
'She must be new to the city,' he decided. He left it at that and decided to go meet  
Goten. Vegita Probably would have discovered the prank by now and half the Capsule Corp could  
very well be blown up. He was out of the city and began to fly, keeping his chi low, just in case  
his father was feeling murderous for some reason. He spotted Goten's chi near his house and headed that way,  
meeting up with him just as he walked out the door. Goten flew up to meet Trunks.  
  
"My my aren't we feeling solemn today," he joked. Trunks smiled. "C'mon, let's go. I just  
got chewed out by my mom about that little joke. My dad went to distract yours from killing us."  
  
"What exactly did we do to the Gravitron?" Trunks asked as they headed off to the forest.  
  
"I dunno. Those wires couldn't have been *that* important." Chuckled Goten. The conversation went   
back and forth in a light, bantering form until the two reached a suitable spot for sparring. It  
was a small clearing, surrounded by trees. They descended and began. It was a relaxed sort of fight.  
Neither was hitting hard, and even if they were, the other was quite able to block. Trunks soon found   
himself babbling on about anything at all, as he often did when he was around his friend.  
  
"...and so I turned down this alley, you know?" Punch, kick. "Totally lost 'em. You should  
have seen the looks on their faces." Kick kick punch.  
  
"You are so nice. When girls start following me around, I just enjoy it!" Goten switched  
to offense and Trunks began blocking.   
  
"Right. *When* they start following you." Block, block, punch.  
  
"Hey, I'm cute too, you know." block, fake, punch.  
  
"If you say so." Block, block. The conversation continued like this until Trunks had related  
the afternoon.  
  
"So let me get this straight." Said Goten in between attacks. "You had that weird look on your  
face today because you met a girl who didn't swoon over you?"  
  
"NO!" Said Trunks, furiously blocking Goten's kicks. "Its just, she doesn't seem to know her way  
around. She was wandering around an alley!" Block block block.  
  
"Uh-huh. Suuuuure. Trunks has a girlfriend! Trunks has a girlfriend!"  
  
"I do not! ouch!" One of Goten's ounches had finally gotten through Trunks defenses.  
"All right, it's on now!" He challenged as they broke away for a second.  
  
"Bring it on lover boy! Do it for your girlfriend!" Teased Goten. The fight was back on-  
but not for long. "WOAH!" Goten went flying into a tree trunk. Trunks hovered over and helped Goten  
pry himself out.  
  
"That'll teach you to mess with the Prince of Saiyens." Joked Trunks. Goten grinned and   
grasped Trunks arm. A quick flip later and Trunks was prying himself out of the ground.  
  
"And that'll teach you to let your gaurd down, highness." Goten hovered down to the ground.  
"Lunch time!" He declared- or, rather, his stomache declared.  
  
"It's past noon. Didn't you eat?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Fine. Snack time!" And the two Saiyens were off in a mad dash around the forest, each  
to hoard his food before the other got there. The lazy day wore on and soon both demi-saiyens  
found themselves at their homes, each tired from sparring all day, but none to hurt. Trunks  
forgot his melancholy mood and dozed to slumberland. Goten, however, stayed wide awake, his mind  
busy with the conversation in the forest. What he wouldn't give to meet this girl... planned properly,   
this could turn out to be one unforgettable prank... Tomorrow he'd begin.  
  
  
Ok, so hows that for a taste test? the plot gets more involoved- its not a love story  
(I said I'd never do another of those, and I am sticking to that!) This one was particularly hard  
to type because my 'e' button seems to be sticking. tee~hee give me your reviews  
and I'll put out another! Until next time, toodles!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  



	2. Breakdown Chapter 2

Breakdown: Chapter 2- The First Victims  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own anything DB\Z\GT related.   
  
Note- Lot's of reviews! YAY!!! I'd particularly like to thank The Emperor for all the info he  
gave me on Super Saiyans and his advice. And now, I present to you the story.  
  
  
Goten woke up early, already plotting this lovely little prank from the second he opened  
his eyes. He bolted his breakfast faster than usual, causing even his father to raise an eyebrow.  
Then it was off to work out the details of his plot. If it went according to plan, Trunks would   
meet again with this girl that he was perhaps subconsciously doting upon. How he loved playing Cupid.  
  
The first step was to find the girl. He had no name to go on, only a description,iand  
the area where they met; the girl was suposed to live just around there. Next he would have to cause  
them to meet, apparently by chance, if possible. Perhaps if they constantly met as if by fate, with  
a little nudging Trunks could be convinced that he and this girl were meant for eachother. But how?  
Well, he would burn that bridge when he came to it.  
  
Flying slowly and keeping his chi low, Goten made his way to the city, landing on the   
outskirts, entering like any other normal person. Slowly he made his way through the crowds  
until he found the alley Trunks had told him about. Luckily, Trunks had mentioned that it was  
by a bus stop. Goten looked up and down the street. Nothing but tall office buildings. Maybe she  
lived further down in an apartment or something. He retraced his steps, looking carefully at each  
building he passed. Major buisnesses, department stores, but no apartments. Not on this street anyway.  
Not on this block, either. Wait a minute. This was the business area of the city. The girl wouldn't  
live around here. Perhaps she had taken the bus. This new factor would make the search much more   
complicated. He was about to give up the search and head home, when he spotted her. An ordinary  
person would be hard to find in the sea of heads that swarmed the sidewalk, but the crowd seemed to be giving  
this girl a large wake. Goten pushed through to find out why.  
  
Her nose was stuck in a book. She was reading without watching where she was going, and   
although she seemed very good at this, the rest of the people looked at her like she was some  
sort of crazy person with a contagious disease. Goten patted himself on the back mentally. Phase  
two had just sprung into exsistance. He would follow her and discover what she did for fun, then  
he could make up some excuse of getting Trunks over there. He took a closer look to be sure he was following the   
right person. She matched all the details Trunks had given him. Lots of books- well she only had one  
now, but thats to be expected. Who would carry a library with them where ever they went?  
Red hair- *very* red hair. A little short, taller than Vegita but shorter than Goku. And lastly,  
the strange thing Trunks had pointed out that made Goten positive he had found the right person-  
A spectacularly low chi of about 0.5 .  
  
The girl seemed to be heading out of the city the way Goten came in. In fact, she seemed to be heading  
straight toward Capsule Corp! This could work out better than planed. Goten decided to race ahead  
to make sure Trunks was there. He could fly- he was well out of the city- and was about to take off  
when the girl suddenly turned around and looked straight at him and quirked an eyebrow. Goten knew  
he'd been spotted even before the girl snapped the book closed and walked over to him.  
  
"Did you want something?" She asked bluntly. Goten blinked and managed to stammer out an answer.  
  
"Um, no! whatever gave you that idea?" He said nervously.  
  
"Nothing. It's just that you have been following me for the past couple blocks and I wondered  
if you wanted something." She stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Goten   
gaped. Goten managed another stuttering 'No' and turned to start to leave when she stopped him.  
"Wait a second," She said suddenly. Goten turned.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Who are you?" She asked.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," Goten replied, hoping maybe for some information on her.  
  
"Fine. My name's Samantha Deva Elden. I'm from a different country and am studying here in  
hopes of getting a better education than my country offered. It's a pleasure to make your aquaintance."  
Samantha stuck out her hand and looked at Goten, who really hadn't expected that much information.  
He shook her hand warily.  
  
"What country are you from?" He asked suspiciously, not detecting an accent.  
  
"No." the girl shook her head. "You wanted to know my name and I told you. Now I need yours."  
  
"All right." Goten smiled. He could play this game. " My name is Son Goten. I live around  
here and am enjoying the Summer vacation like any normal teen in their right mind." He said,  
and she smiled.  
  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to run. So much homework, so little time."  
She grinned and left for the city before Goten could protest.  
  
'What a strange, strange girl.' Goten though, flying back home. 'She's in school during  
the summer, and gives out information about herself freely. Just like when Trunks saw her  
in the alley. If she's not careful, she is going to get hurt.' He landed in front of his house,  
just in time, chi chi noted, pleased, for lunch.  
  
  
  
  
Trunks had been bored all day. Goten had not been at home when Trunks called; his mother  
said Goten had gone to the city. So Trunks stayed home, or near to it. He helped his mom with any  
technical problems and even trained some with his father, which seemed to put Vegita in a good  
mood. 'Nothing pleases him more than pounding the life out of me,' Trunks thought. But he did have  
something to look forward to. Tomorrow, his mom had arranged a picnnic for the whole gang. These were  
always alot of fun, though they always ended with something getting blown up for some reason.  
This time, Bulma felt it wise to provide something for the warriors to vent their energy with. A  
sport had been chosen- volleyball. Tomorrow promised to be a very interesting day indeed.  
  
  
  
The next day dawned, clear and sunny, without a cloud in the sky.  
  
"It's a perfect day for a picnic!" Bulma declared, coming out of the house with a basket  
slung over one arm. In the distance, thunder rumbled. Trunks tossed the volley ball net into the  
back of the car allong with the volleyball, which was made of the toughest material Bulma could invent  
to prevent wear and tear from high-speed playing. Trunks took off for the battle grounds...er...picnic  
grounds... with Bulma following close behind in with Bra in the air-car. Vegeta was already there  
along with Goten's family, who were doing the cooking upon insistance from everyone who had tasted  
Bulma's...concoctions.   
  
Trunks touched down a moment later at the picnic minutes later. Goku, Chichi, Gohan, Pan,  
Videl, Goten, Krillin and Vegeta were already there. Yamcha chowed up a moment later, followed by  
Bulma and Bra. After much quarelling, it was decided that Gohan would handel the cooking, as he managed  
it the fastest and was able to grill each burger in accordance between the differing properties  
of human and Saiyen tongues. The eating finished, (which, naturally, took a very short time) the   
game got underway. Bulma admitted to Chichi that the sport wasn't provided to keep the warriors  
out of trouble- she really wanted a good laugh. If everyone played, they would have enough for  
two teams. Bulma, Yamcha, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, and Bra were on one team with Chichi, Krillin,  
Goku, Gohan, Pan, and Videl on the other. A very interesting game began...  
  
Bulma's team won the coin toss, an Yamcha had the first serve. The ball flew over the net  
at high speed and was promptly returned by Krillin. Goten spiked it back, only to have it dug up  
by Gohan. Play continued at this pace, never slowing except when someone served. Finally it was   
game point. Bulma's team had 14 points and Chichi's had 13. Gohan was serving. He tossed the ball  
a good 50 feet in the air and flew up to pund it down at the other team. It made a huge crater that blew  
Yamch and Bra to the sides. They were ready for the next one and returned it magnificently. Chichi  
was at the net and went up for a spike- only to dink it ever-so-softly over. It fell right in front  
of Vegeta, who had been preparing for a hard spike. By the time the next point was scored and the  
game ended it had begun to rain. Bulma and Bra piled into the car. Gohan volunteered to retrieve  
the ball from a clump of bushes. Thorn Bushes. He pushed his way through to the ball which had  
landed in the very center of the thorny mass, cutting himself several times along the way. When he  
emerged he looked like he'd had a run in with a pine tree. He headed for home with Pan and Videl, intent on a   
good night's sleep after a relatively normal day.  
  
Trunks was the last to go. He made sure nothing had been forgotten than began to fly towards  
home at a slow pace, enjoying the gentle dance of the rain. Suddenly the patter of droplets on his  
back stopped. He looked up to see Goten grinning down at him.  
  
"In the mood for a little spar?" He asked. Trunks stopped and smiled back.  
  
"Yeah sure. I'm in the mood for pounding someone." Goten only grinned. They flew  
at eachother, fists flying as the rain continued to fall. They kept at it for an hour before Goten  
spotted an opening and kicked Trunks into a nearby cloud. He zoomed around the cloud expecting  
Trunks to come out the other side. When Trunks didn't come out after a minute, Goten decided to  
come in after him. There was only one problem- the cloud wouldn't let him in. There seemed to be   
a protective covering around the cloud- and it wasn't any chi sheild, either.  
  
"Trunks? Hey Trunks! Come on!" Goten circled the cloud looking for a way in. The rain  
lashed harder and lighting struck in the distance. What was he going to do? It was already late  
so Bulma and Vegeta would be sleeping, and he definitely did not want to wake Vegita up. He quickly  
decided to go home- his mother would be up waiting for him and his dad would be able to help. Goten  
took off.  
  
Inside the cloud, Trunks was confused. When he flew into the cloud, he should have flown out  
the other side. Instead, he had flown in and hit what seemed like a wall. He tried to fly out the  
other way but he couldn't get out. He was stuck. Trunks took in his surroundings. Instead of being  
a billowy, fluffy substance, the Grey mass looked kind of solid. It was as though he was in   
a small room. But what worried him most was the way the thunder kept getting louder and louder.  
Soon it was right on top of him. Without warning, a bolt of lightning struck to inches from Trunks'  
face. He jumped back as another bolt struck right where he had been standing. This wasn't natural  
lightning. Two bolts came from nowhere and struck him. It didn't hurt too much, but it did make his hair stand on   
end. More bolts kept coming, and they seemed to be getting stronger. oddly enough, the room seemed to be getting smaller.   
Soon, Trunks had nowhere left to dodge and a gigantic bolt of lightning sent him plummeting through  
the 'floor' of the cloud- right into Goku.  
  
"Trunks!" Goku set the dazed boy on his feet where he swayed, then balanced himself. "What  
happened?" Goku asked. Trunks told the tale of the strange lightning, and retold it again to his mother when  
he got home. It turned out she had waited up for him after all.  
  
"Well, all I can tell you, Trunks, is to get a good nights rest. Tomorrow I'll get some  
weather equippment over to that are and we'll check it out." Bulma said, looking disapprovingly at  
Trunks' rain-soaked clothes. That boy was more like his father! training in all sorts of conditions...  
she sighed and trudged off to bed.  
  
Trunks slept peacefully that night, as did Gohan. Neither woke up in the morning.  
  
  
  
Wasn't that an absolutely lovely ending?? Hehe. Sorry about the wait on this one. It would have been  
out a few days sooner, but I got into a fight with my sis and she punched me in the face, breaking  
my glasses. So, I really couldn't see....hopefully the next one shall come sooner! until next time, toodles!!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  
  
  
  



	3. Breakdown Chapter 3

Breakdown- Chapter 3: As the Stars Look On  
  
Disclaimer- ok, I do not own anything related to Dragon Ball Z or GT, not to mention Dragon Ball. ^_^  
  
  
Note: Ok, This one took a while as well. But I thought and thought and thought on the content of this  
one, and finally, during some presentation at school that I think might have been important ^_^()  
It came to me! so here it is!  
  
  
Bulma woke earlier than usual the next day. She didn't even bother trying to make breakfast  
and instead went straight to the main labs. Work was getting harder to manage- her capsule cars  
were 'too hard to drive' Nonsense! She and her father had been making capsules for years and there was never  
a problem before this! What was happening was people were getting careless and not taking proper care of  
the things, and when you don't keep up a machine, it's going to start to malfunction. So she had been up  
early the past five weeks creating flyers and manuals and trying to figure out a way to get these people  
to work with her! If she could just produce a new line of automobile, she would send an instruction manual  
and warning with it this time so people wouldn't blame her. The trouble was, the workers were slow and didn't  
always understand everything. Besides that, she wanted to analyze the area Trunks had told her about the other  
day. If there was a new weather disaster approaching, she wanted to be on top of it. That's when the  
doorbell rang.  
  
"Hello?" Bulma opened the door to find a girl with bright-red hair standing there. "Can I help you?"  
Bulma asked.  
  
"Hopefully. I'm looking for a job and I've heard about Capsule Corporations reputation."   
  
"Say no more, I need all the help I can get. What sort of education do you have?"  
  
"Well, I went all the way through grade school and high school and I am starting my second year of college."  
Bulma gaped.  
  
"Aren't you a little young to be in college?" She asked. The girl looked no more than 17.  
  
"I'm advanced for my age." She said. "I also excell in science." That did it.  
  
"You're hired. What's your name?"  
  
"Samantha Elden. Call me Sam." They shook hands and Samantha went to the main labs to learn  
what to do. Bulma came out an hour later with a very pleased look on her face. Sam was doing remarkably  
well. She caught on quickly and worked faster than everyone else. Within a half an hour she had come up with a way  
to make Bulma's new line of Capsule Cars.  
  
"It's easy. Tell the people you used new rubber on the tires, or new glass on the windsheild. Outrageous colors for the tires and  
glass will show this." She had said. Bulma sighed. She could actually relax. Maybe. Where was Vegeta? She  
walked by the Gravity room. Training. Good. And Trunks? Still sleeping? How odd. Her thoughts were interuppted by a knock on the   
door.  
  
"Hey Bulma. Where's Trunks?" Goten asked.  
  
"Still sleeping, oddly enough," Bulma replied. Goten grinned.  
  
"I'll wake him up!" He took off for Trunks' room. "Hey buddy!" Goten said loudly. Trunks didn't move.  
"Wake-up call!" He yelled in Trunks' ear. No response. Goten sighed and physically dragged his friend out of  
bed. Still Trunks did not stir. 'Hmmm...' Goten thought. 'This has definite possibilities. Where's  
some hair dye when you need it?' He settled for messing Trunks' hair up out of it's usual perfectly straight  
position. When Trunks didn't wake up after this, Goten began to think something was wrong. He pried  
one of Trunks' eye-lids open, only to find that the pupil was missing. Alarmed, he checked his friend's  
pulse. It was normal. Still, he thought Bulma ought to know. Goten found Bulma just as the phone rang. She picked it up.  
  
"Capsule Corps." She said into the receiver just as Goten walked into the room. An alarmed look crossed her  
face. "Ok, I'll be there shortly." She hung up the phone and faced Goten.  
  
"That was Videl. Something's wrong with Gohan and I need to go over there right away."  
  
"But Bulma, something's up with Trunks, too!" Goten explained how nothing could wake Trunks up. Bulma nodded.  
  
"Ok, then would you go and get Gohan and bring him here? It will help if I can look at both of them at once. Gohan's  
problem sounds the same as Trunks'." Goten nodded and flew off towards his brother's home. Bulma went to Trunks' room to move him to the  
hospital wing.  
  
Goten touched down at Gohan's house to find that his father and mother were both there. Videl, Chichi,  
Pan, and Goku all ended up coming back to capsule corporations with Goten, who noticed that Gohan had the same symptoms  
as Trunks.  
  
When Trunks and Gohan were on beds in the hospital wing, Bulma attached all sorts of wires to them. Then a monitor  
began monitering their brainwave activity.  
  
"Its just as I suspected!" Exclaimed Bulma after studying readings on two separate monitors. "There is a very  
high level of activity here. See how fast the lines are moving? I'd say this is some sort of advanced stage of REM. It's  
like they're in a very deep sleep, though how they got this way, I have no idea." Bulma looked thoughtful for a moment.  
"Maybe... maybe Trunks is like this because of the way he came home last night. I never did get a chance to monitor the weather activity over  
there. Well, in any case, I'll keep an eye on them here. You all didn't have to come. They'll be just fine." Videl nodded. Bulma preferred to work alone.  
She took Pan and left. Chi-chi, however, wasn't about to move. Bulma didn't mind though. The last time she'd had Gohan in here on a hospital table,   
Chi-chi had cleaned the entire compound until it was spotless. Goku decided he would spar with Vegita. It  
had been a while and they were both itching for a chance to test their skills. Goten decided he would head out to the city. Maybe find that Samantha girl.  
He didn't have to go far. As he was leaving, he saw Samantha across the grounds. He ran over.  
  
"Hey," He said, coming up behind her. "What're you doing here Samantha?"  
  
"Hi Goten. Call me Sam." She replied. "I'm working here now. What about you?"  
  
"I came to see my friend, but he won't wake up. So I'm off to do whatever." Goten said, chuckling slightly.  
  
"Won't wake up?" Samantha looked confused.  
  
"Yeah he's in some weird state of mind, along with my brother." He told her  
  
"You have a brother?" Samantha queried.  
  
"Yeah. His name's Gohan. Why?" Goten asked  
  
"No special reason. Just curious. Gohan, huh? Right. Well, I'd better get back to work. See ya, Goten!" And she walked off. Goten  
slapped himself mentally. He was supposed to be finding out about her, not the other way around. Ah well. Next time. He looked around.  
Samantha was already gone.  
  
  
Goku and Vegita called a break for lunch. Walking into the Kitchen, a magnificent sight met their eyes. A huge pile of food  
lay heaped on the table and nearly overflowing onto the floor. The Saiyan's eyes lit up and they went after it in a race to see who could  
stuff themselves faster. We'll leave them at that, shall we?  
  
  
Far away, in a mountainous area, Piccolo broke his meditation. He pulled his water bottle from his belt and took a drink, only to   
spit it right back out. Something tainted the water- he could taste it. Where it landed on the ground it frothed and bubbled like acid, burning  
a hole through the dirt. Piccolo dumped the entire contents into the hole and watched it grow bigger as the liquid landed. He flew to a nearby waterfall  
to rinse the tingling sensation from his mouth. He had just landed when somebody- or something- attacked him from behind. Something sharp pierced his neck on   
two sides, and the assailent was gone. Piccolo fell face-first onto the ground where he lay unmoving. The air ruffled as something flew off.  
  
That night, with no improvement on Gohan and Trunks' situation, Goku flew Chichi home. Instead of staying up as he usually did, though,   
Goku fell straight to sleep. Chi-chi shook her head reprovingly. He had obviously trained too hard today. Stars were only just beginning  
to peep out from under their black velvet blanket to dance in the sky, teasing earth-bound humans. What a romantic night  
to just stay awake and watch the stars. Maybe tomorrow, assuming Goku wouldn't train so hard again.  
  
Even Vegeta retired early, feeling more exhausted than usual for some reason. Bulma stayed up only a few minutes after Vegeta went to bed and then  
joined him. She was surprised to find that he had already fallen asleep. Stranger still, he wasn't scowling as he usually did while he slept.  
Bulma shrugged and snuggled deeper under the covers. It was such a warm night, why was it so cold at the same time?  
  
Goten flew home after dark and entered his room through the window because the front door often squeeked and he  
didn't want to wake his parents if they were asleep, which they probobly weren't. He always left his window open though, just  
in case he needed a quick entrance or exit. Just before he went to bed, he looked out at the sky.  
There was a particularly bright star that he was watching. He had never seen one so bright. Without warning, the light  
pulsed, then faded. The star had just died. Goten blinked. There were spots in front of his eyes  
He blinked again and they were gone. He lay down in his bed, intending on staying up a while longer, but fell asleep almost immediately,  
and without even feeling tired.  
  
  
  
ok so did you like it? I know not much is happening really, but the next part will have a little more action in if,  
I promise! Man, I'm lucky I caught the flu! otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to finish this part! Hey, when  
life drives you a truckload of lemons, you have enough lemonade to share! Until next time, toodles!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  



	4. Breakdown Chapter 4

Breakdown- Chapter 4: When Dreams Become Reality  
  
Disclaimer- Well, I own Sam, but the rest of the charachters are the property of Akira Toriyama, more or less.  
  
  
Author note- well, not much to say here, except that my last chapter wasn't to good and hopefully this will make up for it. Oh, and the usual warning applies. If you haven't read my other stories in the Ice timeline (A potential threat, Saiyan, A very old and dangerous person,  
As all Hell Broke Loose. This one. In that order.) you will be confused!  
  
***********************  
  
The place he was in was pitch black, though Trunks couldn't tell this because of a very heavy blue-grey mist swirling around him. The last thing he remembered was closing his eyes, and then finding himself here. He knew he was still in his room on his bed; he could feel himself there. But somehow he was here as well. The mist swirled and formed a blue and grey image of Trunks sleeping in his room. His body was totally straight and his face had no expression. Trunks reached out and touched the image tentatively. The picture became distorted where his hand was. He moved his arm around, swirling the image of his room back into mist. A new portrait formed before his eyes. In this one, it was morning and Goten was in his room trying to wake him up.  
  
"Hey buddy!" Goten's voice seemed different and echoed around the place, giving his voice a strange hollow sound. The image showed Goten walking over to his yelling into his ear. The yell was magnified at least a thousand times, causing Trunks to clap his hands over his sensitive ears. He was going to kill Goten when he got out of here. Trunks watched as Goten dragged him out of bed and messed up his hair. Trunks' hand flew to his still-straight hair. Goten left the image-room and later Bulma came in. His body was moved to the hospital wing and laid on a bed next to Gohan who seemed to be in the same state he was. The mist swirled and faded leaving only grey and blue formless fog. Suddenly, Trunks was aware of a deep cut on his back. It was oozing grey-blue blood, or something very much like blood. It didn't hurt but was annoying and 'bleeding' heavily. Trunks instinctively thought losing too much blood means dying, even though he wasn't sure the stuff was blood. There was, however, no way to stop the flow. The mist whirled again, more violently this time, spinning Trunks around. The picture this time was hazy and unclear. It seemed to be a person, though he couldn't tell the gender.   
  
"Trunks." The image spoke. It echoed around, not loudly, but gently.  
  
"What?" Trunks asked the Image. It felt odd talking to a picture.  
  
"Do you recognize these?" The Image waved an arm and nearby mist formed into four separate objects formed, three-dimensional and made of mist. Trunks studied them carefully. They were weapons. Something clicked in his mind.  
  
"These weapons... I saw them when I was younger. There were four girls who bore them." He said cautiously.  
  
"Take one. These are not the actual weapons, but copies with less of an effect on Saiyans." The Image informed.  
  
"No way. I remember what happened to my dad and Goku when they were near those." Trunks protested.  
  
"They are full Saiyans. They will have no effect on you." Urged the Image. Trunks reached out and was about to grasp a staff when he remembered.  
  
"Gohan took one and was hurt right off. No, I don't think so." Trunks backed away from the misty objects.  
  
"Gohan is weaker than you are."  
  
"Gohan is stronger than I am! I ain't touching those things!" Trunks exclaimed.  
  
"You WILL." It was a command. Trunks' body responded by moving toward the weapons. His arm stretched out with a will of it's own.  
  
"I WON'T!" Trunks tried to pull back, but it wasn't easy; the Image's hold on his mind was strong. He finally managed to get his arm down and then struggled to move away from the weapon-images. The Image laughed, and Trunks noticed for the first time that the voice of the image was feminine- and familiar. But he was to busy trying to pull away to try and peg it.  
  
"You are stronger than you look. But you MUST take one. You WILL." The Image insisted.  
  
"NO!" Trunks roared, going Super Saiyen  
  
"Oh, a Super Saiyen are you? Doubtless you've reached other levels as well. But that's all right." A shimmer went through the air. Trunks felt his power repressed as he tried to make the next level. He could go no further. But he could withstand the mental hold. Until it doubled.   
  
"I am more powerful than you in this aspect, Trunks. Give up, and it ends. You'll be free to go." Trunks replied by pulling harder against the force.  
  
"Have it your way. First you will fall out of Super Saiyan NOW." Trunks felt his power dropping. His hair returned to lavender, his eyes to their original shade of blue. "Next, you will take a weapon!" Trunks felt both his arms stretching toward the staff. He couldn't stop them. When his fingers clasped around the oak, the mental hold broke and the staff becam solid. Lightning surged through Trunks' body and he couldn't let go of the staff. The longer he held onto the staff, the more the pain increased. The more the pain increased, the tighter he clutched the staff. Finally, it stopped and Trunks dropped the staff. It turned back to formed mist.  
  
"As I said," The Image informed Trunks "These are replicas of the originals. They are activated by me instead of by the Saiyan touch." Trunks glared at her. How he wished that image would clarify. Then he would know who that infuriating voice belonged to. He was  
positive he'd heard it before. "Now. A test of physical skill. Choose your weapon." All four of the weapons became solid.  
  
"Ladies first." Growled Trunks.  
  
"Oh, and he's polite too." Said the Image. Mist swirled and her Image became solid. She was now a solid, but still fuzzy, person. She reached out and took a sword. Lightning did not surge through her. It was indeed as she had said. She controlled these prototypes. "Your turn." She said brightly.  
  
"Let me guess. They are all charged with electricity, correct?" The girl nodded. "How am I supposed to fight if I can't see straight?" demanded Trunks. The girl just shrugged. Trunks grabbed the staff and lightning coursed through him again. He fought to remain standing and tryed for Super Saiyan, but his power was repressed still further. He couldn't power up at all.  
  
"This is strictly hand-to-hand combat. No ki allowed." Stated the girl. She lunged at him with out warning and knocked him through the swirling mists. He came back and attacked her this time, but it was safe to say that she had the upper hand in this one. It was then that Trunks got an idea. Struggling to fight the blinding pain, he thrust the staff against the sword. The metal conducted the electricity to the Girl and she flickered. Trunks saw this moment of weakness and threw the staff javelin-style right at her midsection. To his great suprise, it went clean through. The girl vanished and became an image again- a very worn image.  
  
"Not to shabby. That makes up for you not being able to withstand the mind bar." She said. The weapons all turned to mist and vanished.   
  
"You may use your power now." Trunks felt as though a heavy burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. He powered up all the way to SSJ2, just because he could.  
  
"Good. I see you are ready to fight." She became a solid but fuzzy person again and began to power up until the mist around her turned gold. But Trunks couldn't sense her power. The girl began a fight that was unlike Trunks had ever experienced, or ever would experience again. Every time he landed a hit, his fist or foot or ki blast would go right through his adversary, who would promptly reform. Without being able to sense ki, however, Trunks couldn't tell whether any damage was being done. He did seem to have the upper hand, though. His speed was signifantly better than hers and his ki attcks were more powerful, not to mention she didn't seem to be able to block too well. Trunks decided to end it right there, end the torment he'd been put through at the hands of this incomprehensible foe. He phased out, reappearing first behind, then in front, then to the side of her. Soon he could tell her sense of direction was getting muddled as she tried to predict where he would appear next. Trunks materialized behind the girl and landed a solid kick directly in the middle of her back. At least, it would have been solid. As it was, the momentum of his attack took him straight through her. When he turned to attack again, she had become an image once more.  
  
"Very good. Quite a power. You could very well be the perfect warrior of your class, if it weren't for your failure in the mental department." She told him.  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?"   
  
"It means you are finished here and you may now know who I am." The Image rippled  
and cleared. Trunks took in a sharp breath.  
  
"You? But how? Why..." Trunks was unable to finish the sentance. Suddenly he seemed to be hurtling through space and time, dimension after dimension, blinding color, then none at all.  
  
***************************  
  
In the medical wing of Capsule Corporations, Bulma quite had her hands full. Goten, Goku, Vegeta had joined Trunks and Gohan in the strange sleep. She had left all business affairs in the capable hands of her Father and Samantha. Bulma realized that though none of her charges seemed to be breathing, they were perfectly healthy. Abruptly, Trunks drew in a jagged breath. His body convulsed with a shudder and seconds later he was calm again. The monitor recording is brain waves slowed its eratic pulse to normal as the demi-saiyen relaxed into a normal sleep. Bulma blinked. She moved to wake her son, trying to rouse him by shaking him. Again, no response. She sighed. At least he looked better, more relaxed. She lefted his eyelid and was met by a bright blue, sleeping stare. So he was all right. So why wasn't he awake? Perhaps it was time to consider the possibility of a new disease...  
  
****************************  
  
  
So how was it? Your comments count, so don't be shy. I don't care if you simply write ... or something like that...... just so I know you've read it ^.^ Oh, and in response to The Emperor, I do try to most more than once a month, but things come up. Large blocks that I'm not bright enough to go around, I just plow straight through...... heh. Well, there, this one came out sooner. Hopefully I'm out of range of Hayseed's pitchfork ^_^() Until next time, toodles!!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  
  
  
  



	5. Breakdown Chapter 5

Breakdown- Chapter 5; When the Mist Clears  
  
  
Disclaimer- Samantha is mine, though she really isn't playing a very big role currently. The rest are the respective property of Akira Toriyama and I claim no right to them.  
  
  
Note- A great big 'ol thank you to all of you have been reviewing! that's it... you can read the story now...  
  
  
**********************  
  
Bulma took a small tissue and skin sample from Trunks, then one from Gohan. under the microscope, Trunks tissue cells looked more-or-less normal if not for a faint blue tint, while Gohan's cells looked entirly different. The nucleas seemed to be overcome with a green substance that definitely should not be there at all. The cell's activities seemed to have stopped where they were. A blood sample from Trunks showed perfectly fine red blood. Bulma magnified the power of the microscope. Interesting... there seemed to be strains of the same blue stuff that were in his cells. It was the same with Gohan, only more abundant. Bulma noticed that Trunks' white blood cells seemed to be fighting off the blue intruder while Gohan's didn't look like they were doing much of anything, almost like they were frozen in place. There, then, that was it! the colored substance was a viral infection that seemed to run its course and then vanish. But why? And why only the Saiyen warriors in this little gang? Bulma began working with the infected cells and blood, trying to find a way to determine what sort of disease it was and a way to combat it. Possibly someone had sent it along to incapacitate the stronger fighters in hopes of controlling Earth, or getting the Dragon Balls, or one of the usual threats. If that was the case, they didn't do a very good job. Trunks was already recovering and it seemed as though he would be ok once he'd rested for a bit. Samantha walked in.  
  
"Hi, Sam," Bulma said with out looking up. Samantha looked over the un moving Saiyans.  
  
"What happened here?" she asked. Bulma explained that they were sick. "Oh. Well, if you need any help in here, let me know. All of your problams are taken care of at the factory." Samantha handed Bulma a report which Bulma read approvingly.  
  
"I could use some help in here. How are you on diseases?"  
  
************************  
  
Gohan blinked in the sudden green-ness. A minute ago he had been sleeping peacefully, and now he was in this strange place filled with thick, toxic looking green fog. He was faintly aware of a dull pain on his arm. When he looked down, a long scratch had appeared and was slowly trickling green... something. He wiped it off but it was replaced with a fresh trickle. He left it alone and glanced around him. This wasn't a dream- no possible way. The thick fog was quite stifling. As he tried to draw a breath to clear his thoughts, a soft, teasing voice whispered through the hush  
  
"I know something," The voice seemed to be full of mirth as it glided around Gohan like a breeze. Unfortunately, it did not drive away the suffocating haze.  
  
"Like what?" Queried Gohan.  
  
"Like what is inside of you at this very moment," The voice was infuriatingly light among the heavy smoke. "What... or rather who... is dying to get out." Gohan whirled around, trying to catch the speaker. He was suddenly frightened.   
  
"Why do you look so scared Gohan? You know you want to let it out." The voiced tingled in his eardrums. No, it wasn't possible... He was gone for good, Piccolo had said so... "My dear boy, when will you ever learn that your teachers are not always right?" The green became ten times thicker and Gohan fell to his knees in a severe coughing fit. Suddenly he felt another prescence and looked up. His eyes widened.  
  
"Gohan. Long time no see." It was like staring in a mirror. The person across from Gohan was identical to him, right down to the toenails. Gohan stood slowly, wishing the fog would go away. He could feel it doing something to his body. His senses were muddled and he couldn't concentrate on his counterpart's chi.  
  
"There's no way you could be Ice." Gohan reasoned. He hadn't felt any wrench from deep inside him, he hadn't tried to call forth to much power, he hadn't hit himself on the head lately, he hadn't done anything to prompt this unwelcome arrival.  
  
"Shall we prove that theory?" Ice's hair turned blue along with his eyes, but Gohan didn't feel any rise in power, though it may have been the hinderamce in his senses making him think that. He tried to concentrate harder.  
  
"No, you're not Ice. You haven't done anything proclaiming yourself a servant of Freiza yet." Ice- or perhaps the false Ice- narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Freiza is dead. Why should I serve him?" That proved it. This was not Ice.  
  
"Who are you?" Gohan demanded. 'Ice' smiled evilly.  
  
"I should have known you would figure it out." 'Ice's' form rippled and vanished as an image appeared behind Gohan- Fuzzy, female voice, the works. The Image waved her hand and the forms of the four weapons appeared again, along with the usual argument ending with the Image putting a mind bar on Gohan.  
  
"I'm not taking one!" Gohan screamed trying to power up, although the image had already made sure he couldn't raise his chi beyond Super Saiyen.  
  
"Yes you will!" The Image doubled her mind hold.  
  
"No I won't!" Gohan doubled his resistance.  
  
"Yes you will!" The hold was tripled. Gohan got an idea. He let himself drop out of Super Saiyan. His theory was that he was wasting energy maintaining his power and that he could fight this hold mentally.  
  
"No I won't." Gohan stated calmly. He could feel the hold on his mind slipping. It was like Piccolo sometimes told him; It is not enough to have power- you must have heart and cunning too. Gohan supposed this included a strong mind as well. Besides that, Gohan had experience dealing with mental power from past encounters with Ice. The mental hold slipped and vanished. The Image let out a breath.  
  
"Not bad. Not bad at all. I am impressed." She sounded sincere, which confused Gohan.  
  
"What do you want, anyway?" He asked, confident now that he could take anything she threw at him.  
  
"I want to know how powerful you are in every aspect." She answered. Gohan blinked. He hadn't been expecting a reply. "Show me." She said, and Gohan felt the restrictions on his chi lift.  
  
"Do you really think I'm going to do anything you ask? I need a reason first."  
  
"I can't give you a reason," The Image said, half to herself. "But, I can make you power up." The fog swirled and suddenly Gohan was surrounded by pictures.  
  
Vegeta, Goku, Goten, and Trunks were all laying on hospital beds in the hospital wing of Capsule Corp. "I did this." The Image said. Gohan frowned. He was not going to show her his power. He didn't know what she wanted with it.  
  
Piccolo was face down alone in some desolate region- he wasn't brething, or moving. "I did this." The Image said. Gohan faught to keep his power down.  
  
Trunks was fighting against an unseen force. Electricity crackled around him and he was in pain. "I did this." She said. Gohan struggled harder.  
  
Goten was floating in a black abyss. He was unconscious and bleeding heavily from multiple wounds. A force came out of nowhere and attacked him even though he couldn't fight back.  
"I will do this." Gohan's power rose and a visible aura appeared. He was trying hard not to go Super Saiyan.  
  
Goku was dead in the middle of a large crater. The land around him was wasted. Many other bodies lay around- some mangled beyond recognition. "I can do this." Gohan hit Super Saiyan.  
  
"I will show you the future of Earth; What will happen if you do not do as I say."  
  
The Earth was wasted. A huge battle had taken place there, but it was over. There were many dead bodies. People cried as they mourned the lost and dead. Over it all, someone laughed with pure delight. Gohan screamed as his power sky-rocketed.  
  
"You wanna see my power?" He threw caution to the winds and went all the way up to his Mystic Level and increased his power to its maximum. He could feel the Image recoil, regretting her descision to provoke the demi-saiyan. The pictures of torment around Gohan shattered as his aura touched them. Even the green Fog was ebbing away. "Now what sort of evil, vile creature could you possibly be to be able to do all of that?!" Gohan demanded. Even as the fog cleared, the Image was fading. Gohan knew he was leaving this place.  
  
"I am not a creature." The Image stated. It sounded far away now.  
  
"Then what are you!?" Gohan yelled. The Image rippled and cleared. Gohan didn't recognize the girl standing there. "Who are you?" The Image rippled again and when it cleared, it had changed. Gohan was shocked right down into the first level of Super Saiyan. "That's impossible!" He breathed, not believing what he saw.  
  
"Gohan, you must remember, nothing is impossible," The girl said. Gohan let his power flow away and relaxed. The girl was distant now, as were any images and smoke.  
  
  
***********************  
  
In the hospital wing, Gohan's back arched as his body took in a breath of air. Then all was calm and only three monitors were left to their irregular tones. The sample of Gohan's blood that Bulma had been examining suddenly began to clear as white blood cells sprang to life to defeat this invasion. Gohan seemed quite all right- exactly like Trunks. It looked like this epidemic would pass. It was very strange, though.  
  
"Bul-ma" A musical voice suddenly filled the room making Bulma jump. She looked over at Sam to see if she'd heard anything. Sam showed no signs of ceasing work. 'Oh, great, now I'm hearing things,' Bulma thought. 'I definitely need some rest.'   
  
"Bulma!" The voice called again. Bulma looked around for a source. "Bulma, you are going to need to find a cure."  
  
"No I'm not," She felt very silly talking to no one. "The virus is fading away." Samanthat looked at her oddly.  
  
"They will not wake up if you don't find a cure."  
  
"What makes you an expert?!" Bulma exclaimed. Samantha lifted an eyebrow  
  
"Trust me... I am your subconscious." Bulma thought this over for a while. If it was really her subconscious, it ought to know. And even if it wasn't , it might be right. Trunks and Gohan didn't look like they were planning on rising and shining any time soon.  
  
"All right. Just leave me alone! I have to concentrate!" Bulma snapped at no one.  
  
"Bulma, um, do you want me to go?" Samantha asked cautiously.  
  
"What? Oh, no, sorry, I was just talking to myself. We have to find a cure for this virus. I don't think they will wake up after it fades unless we help them." Bulma answered. Samatha nodded and got to work analyzing and recording anything she noticed in the virus. Bulma began trying to isolate it to see if she could take it apart and discover what it was composed of. The two worked well into the night at the same pace. Bulma was astounded to find that she had found a partner that did everything perfectly. Sam was even able to stay as long as necessary and could stay awake without constant shaking. 'What luck,' Bulma thought gratefully.  
  
  
***********************************  
  
He was surrounded with thin orange mist. Vegeta looked around for the source but found none. But he did feel another prescense.  
  
"Kakarot! What the hell are you doing in my head?!" Vegeta demanded. Goku stepped out of the mist and shrugged. Both warriors had a thin scratch down their arms that was oozing orange.  
  
"How do you know you're not in my head?" Goku asked innocently. Vegeta rolled his eyes.  
  
"Shut up." Vegeta snapped. He wanted to know where he was and why he was with Kakarot of all people. This was no ordinary dream- he could feel it.  
  
"For shame." A voice echoed around the two and they spun to see who it was- both in different directions. The voice sighed. "Bickering will get you nowhere. You should know that by now." The voice chided. Suddenly there was an Image to go with the voice. "The two of you are the strongest warriors of you little group, with the exception of perhaps Piccolo, and you seem to argue alot. That will never do."  
  
"Why am I here?!" Vegeta shouted at the Image. "And with him!" He flung an arm out in the general direction of Goku, who only shrugged again.  
  
"Simple," The Image spoke. "You two are total opposites, sharing only in your amount of strength. One is passive, the other agressive. One peaceful, the other violent. But in battle, if the two of you were to join, and I'm not talking about fusion, you could defeat anyone."  
  
"Why?" Goku asked curiously. "I mean, why now?" The Image smiled.  
  
"It just seemed like the time to do it." Goku smiled back. He didn't believe that for a minute. And by the look on his face, neither did Vegeta.  
  
"Right. So there's a new threat and you're trying to train us to prepare." Goku interpreted. The Image got a funny look on her face.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Get on with it then! Are we here to train or not?!" Vegeta was quite beginning to loose his patience.  
  
"Ok." The Image waved a hand and suddenly Goku and Vegeta looked like participants in a three legged race. That is to say, they were bound together by the ankle with a golden ring. They face vaulted, or at least, they tried to. With the ankle ring, it was somewhat difficult. They settled for a sweat drop instead. The Image continued with an annoyingly cheery voice. "The challenge is to find me. You can power up as much as you want, all you have to do is discover where I am hiding in this mist, then you can leave. Ready? I'm off." The Image vanished, leaving behind a final comment. "And remember boys; teamwork!" She laughed vexingly and disappeared all together.  
  
  
Kay, I am stopping here because I am so eager to post!! Its Haloween, dontcha know, and the candy is going to my head!!! Comment, or I'll sic Ice on you! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!!! ok, I'm done now...  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  
  



	6. Breakdown Chapter 6

Breakdown Chapter 6; If You Haven't Got Your Health...  
  
Disclaimer- DBZ\GT is not mine... you know the drill...  
  
  
Note- November is a wonderful month! In November of 1999 I discovered fan fiction and began   
writing. ^_^ Happy Anniversary to me!!  
  
  
  
Vegeta was quite annoyed. Never, in his entire life, through all his battles and partnerships, did he think he'd hit this point. Bound to Kakarot by the ankle stumbling around a misty maze searching for some idiot girl so they could get out of there. How stupid! Of course, the minute the girl had vanished, Vegeta had tryed using a controlled ki blast as a sort of blow-torch, but it didn't even scratch the ring that held him to this nightmare. Both of them had tried pulling their feet out of their boots, but the thing was bound to tight. In the end, Goku had proposed that they do what this girl asked, and perhaps they would find out more about her. Vegeta grudgingly complied. That was where the real problem began.  
  
"All right then, lets go." Goku started to walk away, forgetting he was stuck to Vegeta. Vegeta tripped and fell, taking Goku down with him, and they ended up in a tangled heap that was near impossible to get out of. "Ok, then maybe we'd better fly." Goku said apologetically. Vegeta just grumbled and took to the air. Since they had no idea where to go, they kept straight for a while. Just as Vegeta was about to lose it, both Saiyan's senses picked up a ki level and went after it simultaneously. What they didn't know was that they were each picking up a different chi, though each was the same level. Vegeta flew to the left as Goku tryed to turn to the right and they found themselves trying to fight free of eachother again. Vegeta reassessed the situation.  
  
"There are two kis. One over there," He pointed to the left, "And one over there." He gestured to the right. "They are identical and either could be what we're looking for. So which to we go to?"  
  
"The one to the right," Goku said. "I have a feeling that's the one we need." He began heading to the right.  
  
"No, I think its the one on the left." Vegeta began heading to the left.  
  
"How do you know its left?"  
  
"How do you know its right?"  
  
"The same way you know its left!" Goku and Vegeta stared eachother in the eye as best they could. Sparks flew as they both powered up past Super Saiyan. Suddenly Goku laughed and powered down.  
  
"Whats so funny, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, annoyed.  
  
"It's just that you look so weird close up!" Goku spat out between peals of laughter. Vegeta looked slightly put out.  
  
"We are going left!" Vegeta declared, trying to fly left, but Goku stopped him.  
  
"I'm positive it's right. Besides, whenever we fight, who is always right anyway?'' Goku said.  
  
"Me." Vegeta said stubbornly and tried to force Goku to the left. Goku formed a small ki blast in his hand and held it up.  
  
"Vegeta, if you move one more inch that way, I will singe off every last hair on your head!" Goku threatened. Vegeta responded by forming a ki blast of his own.  
  
"And I will do the same to you," He promised. Goku just shrugged.  
  
"I'm not as uptight about my hair is you. I couldn't care less if I walked away looking like Nappa." He said with an easy-going smile.  
  
"I am not uptight about my hair!"  
  
"Sure. And you don't use five cans of heavy-duty hair spray every day, either." Goku taunted. Vegeta just growled and threw his ki blast backwards where it exploded, causing a small break in the light orange mist. Both Saiyans flew toward the ki on the right. After a while they reached it, but it was not the girl. The swirling mists parted around a large blue sphere of ki. When the two flew into the clear proximity of the ki ball, a voice sounded.  
  
"Congratualtions. You have managed to not find me. Total time to detonation; 5 seconds."  
  
"This is all your fault Kakarot!"  
  
"5..."  
  
"ME!? You're the one who agreed to come this way!"  
  
"4..."  
  
"You threatened me!"  
  
"3..."  
  
"It's not my fault you're obsessed with your hair!!!"  
  
"2..."  
  
"I am not obsessed with my hair!"  
  
"1..... BANG!" The sphere exploded in a burst of bright light, knocking the two bickereing warriors back several hundred yards where they landed at the feet of an Image.   
  
"Shame on you. I had thought better of you both. Your time here is nearly over. You definitely don't deserve this, but because I'm nice and don't hold grudges..... I'll show you who I am."  
  
"What grudge?" Goku wondered as the Image rippled and cleared to reveal a normal picture of a girl. Neither Vegeta nor Goku recognized her.  
  
"Oh, that's right I forgot. Here." The girl waved her hand and rippled and changed again. This time, both Vegeta and Goku recognized her. The mist around them convieniently dissapated and they left the state of being, however, before they could say her name. (Isn't that just too bad for you...)  
  
  
********************  
  
Back in Capsule Corp., Vegeta and Goku's bodies both took in air. Bulma and Sam looked up from their microscopes.  
  
"All right, four down, one to go." Bulma said. "Have you figured anything out yet?"  
  
"Yes," replied Sam. "The cloudy stuff- the virus? It only appears to have gone away. It is really lingering and holding back the cell's activities. If we don't totally get rid of it, they won't ever wake up." Bulma nodded.  
  
"I found the same thing. But I also found that certain parts of the virus can be fought with different things. Once we figure out how each part of the virus can be deactivated, I can create a mixture of all the deactivators and inject it into their bloodstream." She explained. Sam nodded and bent back over her microscope and notes. What they didn't know was that there were really two more victims.  
  
**********************  
  
Piccolo still lay face down in the spot where that thing had attacked him. (betcha forgot about Piccolo, didn't ya? No? well you're just talented then...) He appeared to be sleeping, but he wasn't breathing at all. Somehow, though, he was still alive, and quite so in his mind.   
  
Piccolo was surrounded in purple mist, battling off a... something. She wouldn't show herself and remained shrouded in a purple veil of slightly thicker mist than what surrounded him. He could tell it was a girl only by the voice and couldn't guess at the species. At first he had thought her to be human, but the power she was displaying now, though minimal in comparison to his own, was far too great for any human to handle, excluding, perhaps, Krillin and Yamcha. The power was as high as a Super Saiyan's, and Piccolo knew he could beat her easily, but he was holding back in order to find out more. But she sensed it.  
  
"You're holding back!" She screamed, throwing her hardest punches. Piccolo blocked them all with ease and fought back with much less vigor. The girl was even able to block a few hits. "Stop hiding your power!" She landed a hit to his head. It didn't have much effect. Piccolo faught back harder and kicked her back into the mist easily. She vanished and reappeared as the cloudy image he had first seen her as. She appeared, or would've appeared if Piccolo could have seen her, contemplative.  
  
"Perhaps I HAVE underestimated you," She said, mostly to herself. "But it doesn't matter. I guess we'll find out soon enough..." She trailed off.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Piccolo asked. He could feel the thin cut he had noticed earlier on his back start to heal and fade. "Who are you?!" He demanded. The mist was starting to thin and vanish. The Image was fading as well. Piccolo felt himself leaving this place.  
  
"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill ya. Toodles!" She vanished altogether, but her voice lingered. "Besides, It wouldn't do you any good at all."  
  
**************************  
  
Piccolo's body took in a breath... of dust... and he began to breathe regularly. But if no one knew that he, too, was a victim of this strange disease, who would cure him?  
  
**************************  
  
Bulma slammed her hands down on the lab table she and Sam were working at.  
  
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed. She checked her notes, shook her head, then checked her notes again. "WHAT?! she repeated.  
  
"Um... what?" Sam ventured.  
  
"Croscarmellose sodium, stearic acid, silica, hydrogen, magnesium stearate, oxygen, glucose... So simple!" Bulma ran out of the room. Sam looked over Bulma's notes and lifted an eyebrow. Interesting...  
  
*********************  
  
In the kitchen...  
  
Bulma grabbed a bowl and a bottle of Vitamins out of a cabinet. Then she gathered up some sugar and water. She ground the vitamins to a pulp then mixed the powder with sugar an water. Testing the consitancy, she added more vitamin-powder, then water, then powder. When she was satisfied at the thickness she took the solution back to the lab.  
  
"What's that?" Sam asked, peering into the bowl.  
  
"Hopefully, the antidote."  
  
"But how will we test it?"  
  
"Well, I suppose the safe thing to do would be to subject an infected cell to the mixture and watch the results, but, as always with Saiyans, there are differeing variables." Bulma explained.  
  
"So..." Sam watched Bulma put an amount of the liquid into a syringe and walked over to Vegeta.  
  
"So we test it and hope its not poison." She injected it into Vegeta's arm.  
  
*********************  
  
  
ok, lovely wasn't it? I know... I'm evil stopping my chapters.... you don't have to tell me... well, actually, you do. Right in that box down there ^_^ till next time, toodles!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  
  
  



	7. Breakdown Chapter 7

Breakdown Part 7-   
  
Disclaimer- Don't you know it by now??? Argh. Fine. I don't own DBZ/GT or Dragonball for that matter.  
  
Note- OOOOk, Goten's turn... By next part you will know who the mystery villain(s) is(are), so I want you all to take guesses! I love reading them and it makes my Imagination work and say... now what if... and then I create a whole nother timeline (don't worry, I give you credit if you sprout an idea in my head) Now, on to the story!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
There was no fog or mist in the place Goten was in, but if there had been, it wouldn't have mattered because Goten was unconscious. An Image appeared and looked around. Something wasn't right. Then it spied Goten.  
  
"I should have known better than to hit him hardest," She said to herself. She switched into 'person' form and hovered around Goten's unmoving figure. She had thought that he could handle this one but perhaps she had overestimated him. She brushed a lock of his hair out of his face only to have it fall right back into place. The girl grinned. Just like his father's... She took a closer look. His face was just like his father's as well. Except... she leaned even closer. His face was set in a sort of grimace. His jaw was set and he had a determined look on his face that would've been more suited to Gohan.   
  
"He's fighting it!" She she snapped her head up in realization. "I got to him last," she muttered, now pacing. "That's why it hasn't taken effect." She looked around. "No mist." She rolled Goten over. "No incision." She snapped her fingers and looked around. "No power. Damn it. This isn't right! How do I fix it? How do I fix it?" She began pacing again. If she didn't fix it, the entire plan would go up in smoke. How could he be fighting it? The immune system was supposed to be entirely shut down when subjected. The only reason she could come up with was that because she had visited him last, his immune system had found some way to fight it.  
  
"Saiyans," she said, smiling. "You never know what they're gonna throw at you." She frowned again. If she couldn't put him through the tests, she had to get him out of this state or it could result in permanant damage. "Why do my experiments never work?" She moaned. There was only one thing she could think to do. The girl made a small ki sphere between her hands and then separated her hands so that it was floating freely. She then took hold of two imaginary fibers and pulled, causing the sphere to stretch. Soon she had a long ki blast that looked a little like a javelin. She brought her hands together to shorten it to the length of a pencil and approached Goten. Carefully she made a thin cut that ran down his arm and instantly started oozing white goo. The girl sighed and the ki vanished. Now all that was left to do was wait for the pseudoplasmic solution to run out. This could be a while.  
  
  
**********************  
  
Bulma paced. And paced. And paced just a little more. The antidote she had concocted didn't seem to be working, but it didn't seem to be hurting Vegeta either. Samantha sat drumming her fingers on a lab table. How long was this going to take? Not long apparantly, because just then Vegeta's head snapped up and he sat up, his hand flying to his eyes.  
  
"Where am I now?!" He exclaimed, hand still over his eyes. "And why can't I see?!" Bulma made a funny squeeking noise and Sam swiveled her chair over to a computer and begen typing furiously.  
  
"Side effect!" She announced.  
  
"Of what?!" An annoyed Vegeta questioned.  
  
"WHAT?! Not possible." Bulma decided.  
  
"Hey, they're Saiyans. You never know what's gonna happen when you mess with alien genetics." Sam said, shrugging.  
  
"How did you know that he's a Saiyan?" Bulma asked, completely ignoring Vegeta's demands for an explination.  
  
"Ah, I know my world history very well. It's very stressed in my country." Sam explained.  
"And as for that side effect, it'll wear off according to my calculations."   
  
"Good. Then we can administer it to the rest of them."   
  
"Um, Bulma? Sorry, but I've got to go. I've definitely been away from my studies long enough, and I don't think you need me around here anymore."  
  
"That's all right. Thanks for all your help Sam. See ya later." Sam walked out, casting a glance at Goten. He hadn't woken yet. She sighed and departed. Bulma administered the antidote to the rest of the Z fighters and they all woke up- all blind and confused. Except Goten. Bulma had noticed that he had not yet come out of the first stage, so she thought it better to wait. Meanwhile, Bulma tried to get answers out of the diseases victims.  
  
"So what was it like?" She asked Trunks. "You were all in a very deep sleep. When people go into these sleeps natrually, sometimes they remember dreams or visions. Anything?" Trunks frowned.  
  
"There was a girl. She said she was testing me, but I don't know what her objectives were. Do you remember, Mom, a long time ago, there were four girls? They had those weapons?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Well, I think this might have something to do with them. At least, the girl had replicas of the weapons." Trunks said.  
  
"But who was she?" Questioned Bulma. Trunks thought. He couldn't really remember. It was the same for the rest of them, their stories varying only slightly.  
  
"Bulma!" Gohan sat bolt upright suddenly. "Piccolo needs the antidote, too! His power's way down, I can tell!"  
  
"But Gohan, we have no way of getting it to him, wherever he is. You guys are all... well, incapacitated, and I can't go over there myself because whoever sent this virus is probably waiting for the chance to attack when you're blind, so to speak."  
  
"Bulma, no offense or anything, but you wouldn't be able to protect us too well if some psycho DID come in here." Goku reasoned.  
  
"But I have no idea where Piccolo is. Plus, I have to keep an eye on Goten."  
  
"So what are we gonna do? We can't just leave him laying somewhere with this virus in his system!" Gohan exclaimed, worried. "What if whoever sent this attacks him?"   
  
"I'm sorry, Gohan, but there's nothing we can do until one of you regains your sight." Bulma said. All the Z warriors sighed. Not one could quite remember who had visited them in their dreams.  
  
**********************  
  
The girl waited. And waited. This was taking much to long, but she didn't dare make a larger cut. This was much to precise work for anymore mistakes than had already been made. On the bright side, however, none of the Saiyans would remember who they saw until Goten woke up and they all had their vision. And Piccolo had yet to be given the antidote, anyway. By then, she would be long gone. Just a bit more to go, and then she'd be out of here, hopefully with no damage done.  
  
  
  
  
Okeedoke, I am gonna stop here. I know this part was shorter than most, but it just seemed like the place to stop (doesn't it always?) anyway, the next part should be up soon enough, and remember, I wanna hear all your thoughts on the fic so far and who the villain(s) is(are) so, till next time, toodles ^_^  
  
~mysticGohan33~ 


	8. Breakdown Chapter 8

Breakdown Chapter 8- Sight for the Blind  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own DBZ/GT  
  
Note- Thank you all for your comments ^_^ I got some interesting answers, but I'm not gonna put what they were yet. But you'll know who the villain(s) is(are) by the end of this chapter! Oh, and perhaps there is a bit of out of charachter-ness in Vegeta. Just call it another side-effect. ^.^ so read on...  
  
  
Bulma was in a lab full of blind Saiyans. Goten had woken up a few minutes ago and she had administered the antidote. Now they were just waiting for someone to be able to see so that they could go and give the cure to Piccolo before Gohan had a coronary. Gohan wasn't the only one going crazy. Bulma *needed* to solve the mystery of the villain, but no one seemed to remember. How convenient. All she got out of them was a tale of their painful misadventures and the fact that this villain was female.   
  
'What a big help,' Bulma felt like banging her head repeatedly on a large rock, but due to the fact that there were none around and she didn't think it was a good idea to be unconscious right now, she refrained. How many female villains had they faught? Ian's androids had all been female. Freiza mighta been female. What about what Trunks had said? Those four girls they had helped so long ago- could they be involved in this? The certainly didn't seem evil. If they had been, wouldn't they have just destroyed the warriors with those weapons of theirs? Bulma's head hurt from trying to think so hard and not getting any results. Who could it be? Bulma found herself wishing that Sam hadn't left. She could certainly use an extra brain on this problem and Sam seemed to know a lot about the Z senshi. That was another odd thing. How did Sam know that all in this room were partially, if not fully, Saiyan? It wasn't exactly broadcasted that aliens were living among the Earth's population. Bulma wasn't an idiot. Sam could be a suspect. In fact, she seemed to have a good grasp on Science- chemistry, biology, physics- could she have worked something as advanced as this? Possibly... Bulma's reverie was suddenly interrupted by a loud cry from Vegeta.  
  
"It's a miracle!" He jumped up off the hospital bed "I can see!" Goku snickered as a large sweat-drop appeared by Bulma's head and Vegeta's face grew beet-red. He sat down quickly.  
  
"Well good. You can go give Piccolo the antidote then," Bulma said. Vegeta shut his eyes rapidly.  
  
"False alarm. I'm blind again."   
  
"Forget it," Said Gohan, tired of waiting. "I'll do it myself!"  
  
"Errr... Gohan? You can't see." Bulma reminded him.  
  
"So what? I can sense ki," He informed the wall. Bulma groaned as Gohan attempted to walk out the door and fell over some equipment. Vegeta forgot he was blind and began laughing at the sight of Gohan trying unsuccesfully to untangle himself from the electrical wires.  
  
"AHA!" Bulma exclaimed. "So you can see again!" She shoved the antidote into Vegeta's hand as he shut his eyes again.  
  
"No I can't!" He claimed.  
  
"Sure you can. You'll just have to try really hard." Bulma told him as she more-or-less threw him out the door. "And don't come back without Piccolo!" She yelled before slamming it shut.  
  
Vegeta flew sullenly through the air toward Piccolo's ki. He hated being made a fool. At least Kakarot hadn't seen. Why was he the only one with his vision anyway? He shrugged it off as he neared a large waterfall and located Piccolo's body beside it. After injecting the cure he stepped back to wait for it to take effect. Ten minutes and a couple of sand castles later, Piccolo stirred. He looked straight at Vegeta.  
  
"What was that?" He asked, noting that something must be terribly wrong for Vegeta to have to be anywhere near him. Vegeta kicked over one of his sculptures and replied  
  
"How am I supposed to know? All I know is that there is a virus and I'm supposed to take you back to the Capsule Corp or the brat is gonna get himself killed. That, and you're supposed to be blind." Piccolo raised an eyebrow. Vegeta, feeling that this was an adequate explaination, said nothing, but took off back toward Capsule Corp. Piccolo followed with a slight shrug. Once there, It was quickly discovered that all of the Saiyans were able to see now, but Bulma had no idea why Piccolo was able to see right away. Talk soon fell to the mysterious girl from the dreams. Slowly, slowly, they were all beginning to recall bits about her.  
  
"She had brown hair," Offered Goku. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Now wait a second," Trunks said. "She had red hair!" Piccolo and Goten simply stood there. Neither had seen this girl in their dreams.  
  
"I'm pretty sure it was brown," Goku insisted. Trunks looked confused. If the girl who visited Goku and Gohan had brown hair and the one who had visited him had red, could there not be two different people? He looked to his father.  
  
"Don't ask me." Vegeta said. "I don't pay attention to such things as hair color."  
  
"Wait wait wait. Didn't... wasn't... well, she *changed*." Gohan said, struggling to say what he was thinking. "I mean, at first she had red hair, and then it was brown, you know?" Goku nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's right. She had red hair and then she changed her image."  
  
"That's great, but we still don't know what she is," Piccolo said, getting impatient.  
  
"She's a scientist," Said Bulma. Everyone turned to look at her. "I don't know how she changed her appearance, but you guys, I think it's Sam." This didn't have quite the effect Bulma was hoping for.  
  
"Sam?!" Goten asked. "No way. She has no powerlevel! What would she be trying to do?"  
  
"Who's Sam?" Vegeta, Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, and Trunks asked simultaneously.  
  
"She's that girl you met, remember? In the city." Goten told Trunks. A look of understanding overtook Trunks' confused expression. Now he remembered. But that still left the other fighters in the dark.  
  
"Wait, if they're the same person how did she change so fast? She just waved her hand and her hair color, eye color, entire makeup changed!" Gohan protested, or rather, his brain protested. Gohan knew it was true, but his brain refused to believe it.  
  
"Perhaps she could answer that herself," Piccolo said. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.  
  
"Hello? Don't you think she would've gotten as far from here as possible?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Believe me, Bulma, there's no where she could go that we can't catch up with her," Goku assured her.  
  
"But how are we going to find her?" Goten asked. "Her total ki level is .5!"  
  
"I guess we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way."  
  
  
  
Urgh, It's short, I know, but I'm hoping this post will cure my block. This just figures. Write about a virus, contract a virus. *grumbles* Actually, it's just a cold, but hey, i'm a thespian. I overact. ^.^ Hopefully, the next part will be out sooner. I say that every time... *sighs* ah well. Till next time, toodles ^.^  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  



	9. Breakdown Chapter 9

Breakdown; Chapter 9- Confrontations and Flashbacks  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own DB/Z/GT. I am merely working with the tools their lovely creator provided me with. Don't sue.  
  
A/N- We left off with Goten, Piccolo, Gohan, Trunks, Vegeta, and Goku taking off to find Sam to see if she was their anonymous villain. So continue on to the story...  
  
Oh, one more thing. **** equals 'flash back' mode ^.^  
  
  
Sam looked out the window of the dingy apartment building. They were coming. She could sense them. She sighed.  
  
'I'd better get this over with.' She thought miserably. What she wouldn't do for a mission. This confrontation could end up being painful depending on how quickly she talked. Opening the window on the far side of the small room, she took off away from the city, making sure to raise her ki just enough to make it noticeable. When she was just above a pretty desolate field she landed and waited for the Z senshi to arrive. She didn't have long to wait. Goten landed first, having been first to spot the familiar ki, followed by Trunks, Gohan, Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo. All were looking at her angrily, except Goten who seemed more confused. Now was the time to speak. But before she could get a word out Vegeta was in the first form of Super Saiyan and holding her up by the front of her shirt- a gray somewhat torn T-shirt.  
  
"Who are you, what do you want, and WHAT RIGHT HAVE YOU TO PUT ME THROUGH WHAT YOU DID?!?" He yelled, shaking her violently at each of the last words. Sam was shocked into silence.  
  
"Vegeta, I think-" Goku tried, but Vegeta wasn't paying attention. His pride had been hurt, and someone had to pay. He tossed the girl easily to the ground and she got to her feet again.  
  
"You have three seconds to explain yourself." Vegeta said benevolently. Sam decided to talk quickly.  
  
"I didn't want to do this to you, but I had to," She started, but Vegeta didn't want to listen. From what he did listen to in the allotted three seconds, it sounded like this girl was working for some higher power. All the more reason to kill her. He flew at her and she put up her hands to block whatever attack he might throw. Vegeta attacked head on. Sam's arms soon began to tire from the fierce barrage of punches.  
  
'That's gonna bruise tomorrow,' She thought wretchedly. 'This is a losing battle. I've gotta get through to him.' She sprang away from him and took a fighting stance. Vegeta stood amused that this lower being was going to try to fight. Then, to his great surprise, she began powering up. Though the power was far less than that of any of the Z warriors, it was higher than any of them had really expected. Vegeta overcame this minor shock and attacked again. Sam blocked as well as she could, but unfortunately for her, this still wasn't very well. Time to take matters into her own hands. She disengaged from the one-sided battle again, shot into the air, and summoned all of her strength. It had been years since she'd done this, but she still remembered how. Concentrating all her energy and praying that Vegeta would give her enough time, she began powering up again. Her power climbed steadily and then, to the great confusion of the Z fighters, reached a familiar plateau with a burst of golden light and debris. When it cleared, Sam could be seen floating with blonde hair and blue eyes. Goten's face took on an even more confused look and Goku creased his forehead, trying to comprehend. Even Vegeta had to struggle to stop curiosity from taking over. He didn't like not knowing what was going on, and he didn't want to appear interested in this weak woman, so he continued to pummel her. Now Sam had a better chance because Vegeta did not deem it necessary to reach the next level to deal with likes of her. She still did not fare well however, especially since she was trying to speak to him between blows.  
  
"Vegeta, stop this now! I'm not who you think!" She exclaimed, throwing all caution of secrecy to the winds. "I am not the one you need to be fighting now! Listen, or you're going to get killed!"  
  
"By you? I don't think so." Vegeta delivered a direct blow to her stomach and then brought his folded hands down on her back causing Sam to hurtle at high speed into the Earth below, where she struggled to pry herself from the newly-made hole. But Vegeta was there and grabbed her arm, swinging her around in a wide arc and throwing her easily into the air. He went up to meet her as she struggled to stay aloft and the fight continued in the air for a while before Vegeta beat her back into the ground. Then, as she lay prone on the ground, drifting out of the Super-Saiyan look-alike state, Goku intervened.   
  
"That's enough Vegeta. She's no threat anymore." Vegeta grumbled about weakness but complied, landing with his arms crossed behind the rest of the group, who had crowded around Sam to see if she was still conscious. If she was, they had a lot of questions. If she wasn't, they'd wait for her to wake up, then ask a lot of questions. As it turns out, she was not conscious, but she was changing. By that I mean her appearance was changing. Her face's shape seemed to morph and her features changed. If her eyes had been open, they would have seen that they were not green, but now hazel. She was no longer the titian-haired girl that Goten and Trunks knew, but now the brunette that Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan knew. Piccolo, however was very, very confused, and he said so, too.  
  
"Someone please explain to me what's going on here!" He practically yelled Goten and Trunks shrugged. All they knew was that this was a strange girl from the city with an astonishingly low power level who apparently could hit a level identical to Super Saiyan.  
Gohan decided to take the floor.  
  
"You remember that story I told you a long time ago?" He asked Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo. "The one about a girl who we found in the woods who was a Saiyan?" Piccolo, Trunks and Goten nodded simultaneously. Gohan pointed to Sam. "That's her." Millions more questions popped into everybody's head, but as no one present could possibly be capable of answering them, they decided to tow Sam on back to Capsule Corp. to see if Bulma could bring her round.  
  
"Goten, why don't you see Korin about some Senzu's. I have a feeling we may need them." Goku said. Goten looked at him oddly.  
  
"OK, sure. But why?" he asked.  
  
"It seems to me that every time a new person shows up on Earth we have a need for them." he replied. Goten nodded and took off for Korin Tower.  
  
At Capsule Corp., It didn't take long for Sam to come to. When she did, she still had her brown hair and green eyes.  
  
"Celeria," Gohan acknowledged. She nodded her head timidly. Vegeta was leaning against the far wall, trying to keep from losing his temper. Trunks wasn't too far from him, trying to fathom the endless questions that reeled in his mind. Goku looked entirely confused, as did Piccolo, though he tried to pass of the perplexed look as one of anger. The result was slightly twisted. "I think you know most of the questions on everyone's mind. Care explaining yourself?" Gohan said casually. He remembered well how easily Celeria was startled, but he had been just a boy then. She should be far older than he. Sam/Celeria swallowed hard and took a deep breath to begin her tale.  
  
"Well, I guess it started with my decision to become a scientist instead of developing my fighting skills."  
  
****************  
  
The scene is outside of the Son house. There is a small Saiyan-like pod in the front yard. Celeria is standing in front of it With Goku and Gohan standing back.  
  
"Now are you sure you don't want to learn anymore? There's so much we haven't covered." Goku said.  
  
"I am a Super Saiyan, Goku. I will be able to take care of myself," She replied, sensing his motives. "Besides, you taught me the basics and that's all I need to know for now. If I ever need more, I'm sure I could learn." Goku nodded sullenly. He wasn't sure he wanted to say good-bye so quickly to his sister. Gohan didn't either.  
  
"Come back sometime, Celeria." He requested. She smiled at the boy- her nephew.  
  
"I'll be back. I promise." She said, kneeling to ruffle the boy's hair. Then she turned and hopped into the ship, taking off almost immediately.   
  
******************  
  
"After I had left, I decided to set my course for one of the highest scientific facilities the computer could find- Planet Amqui. Once there, I set myself up as a scientist and student, to learn from the greatest masters. In time, I became one of the most esteemed scholars on the planet. While learning, though, I still wondered about my past. Some pieces just didn't fit. How could I have possibly have been your sister, Goku? We would have been born within a few weeks of each other, and that is definitely not plausible." She continued. "I got to studying our genealogy."  
  
******************  
  
The scene- Celeria has been on the planet Amqui for many years, studying and becoming a scientist. She has distinguished herself as an important scientist with many discoveries credited to her. Conveniently, the years on Amqui are equal in length to that of Earth, so she has aged normally- at least, as normally as Sayings age.  
  
Celeria bent over millions of papers strewn haphazardly among overturned phials and glasses. She was scribbling quickly, frequently checking calculations and measurements on an odd looking abacus-like device in front of her. Finally, she leaned back in her seat and sighed. This was not possible. Something was wrong. When she was satisfied she had exhausted every resource available to her, she decided to visit an old friend of hers.  
  
"Celeria!" An old man greeted her happily as she walked into what looked like a large classroom. He had a long white beard and tiny spectacles- the very image of a wizened professor.  
  
"Hello Kocheck. How are you?" She said in the planet's formal language.  
  
"Ah, dispense with the formalities my dear. I can see question in your eyes. Come now, out with it." Kocheck replied casually, smiling at her all the while. She smiled back. He knew her too well.  
  
"Well, there is a question. Now that I've got some free time on my hands, I've been studying...well, myself. My bloodline, I mean." She said, remembering how shocked the people of Amqui had been when they learned that she was of Saiyan blood, yet kind and gentle as any of them.  
  
"Ah yes. Your interesting heritage. A Saiyan from Earth." He said, also remembering.  
  
"But originally Vegita-sei, Kocheck. I can't forget that. But that's beside the point. You remember how I told you of my life on Earth and how I'd discovered a brother and nephew?" He nodded. "Well, I've been experimenting, studying, reasoning, and applying logic in every way shape and form, but there doesn't seem to be a connection between me and Kakarot."  
  
"Your brother, correct?" Celeria nodded now. "You checked DNA? Repeating patterns? The cells? The very atoms?"  
  
"Yes everything. No matches, no patterns, no outstanding gene similar, except the Super Saiyan gene." She said, sinking into a chair with an exasperated sigh. Kocheck looked slightly shocked. Celeria didn't like talking about her power. It made her uneasy because she still didn't have full control over it, and there were few beings on the planet more powerful than her. Truth be told, Kocheck believed that she was frightened by her own power, even though she knew very well that there were those abroad that were ten times stronger than she.  
  
"Perhaps," He began, choosing his words carefully. Celeria was a strange girl. She didn't mind being reminded of her brother, or even Earth, but she was sensitive about returning. She had made a promise when she first left, years and years ago, to her nephew. She had not kept the promise, and was trying to forget it. "Perhaps you should go to the source." Celeria's head snapped up.  
  
"How would going back to Earth help?" She demanded, her voice slightly higher than she had intended.  
  
"Well, that is where you discovered who you are. Often times, we overlook the simplest solutions in our haste to discover the answer."  
  
"You know, a lot of times you make no sense, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of your 'prophetic' mode. Thanks a lot Prof!" He smiled and nodded, pleased that she had figured put the solution.  
  
"Any time Celeria," He said as she rose to leave. "But don't call me Prof!" He hollered at her retreating back.  
  
"OK, Proffy!" She yelled back. He groaned. That girl was so impossible!   
  
The solution was so simple that of course she had overlooked it. She began rummaging around in the mass of papers, upsetting more glassware, until she found what she was looking for. The book was ancient by now; it's leather covering cracked and discolored. It was her journal that she had begun keeping shortly after Kakarot and the gang had discovered her. It had been a gift from Gohan. She leafed through it backward, past early experiments, her schooling, the journey here, until at last she found what she was looking for. An account, word-for-word, of what Vegeta had told of herself. It read as follows.  
  
'Your amazingly high power level meant that you had to be a Saiyan or one of Freiza's followers. Your ability to sleep through us knocking down your door and carrying you all the way here is a trait only Kakarot possesses. The fact that you looked exactly like a Super Saiyan when you transformed meant that you had to be a Saiyan, and since the Super Saiyan gene usually runs in the family blood line, you would have to be a relative of the only Super Saiyan here; Kakarot. Not that I don't intend on becoming one. Bardock probably did not become one because the gene lays dormant for several generations. When I came to Earth with Nappa to get the Dragon Balls, I used a ball of light to help me transform. I told Kakarot that his father was an excellent scientist, and a brilliant strategist In fact, he was my Father's head scientist. I knew he  
had more kids than Kakarot and Radditz; he also had a girl just a week older than Kakarot. I assumed she died when Freiza blew up the planet.'  
  
There it was, exactly what Vegeta had told her. Had she been so stupid? So blind? This was obviously hasty logic on his part, and it was no wonder nothing fit. She also remembered what she had said after this. Something along the lines of 'I've got my memories back now.' That had been a lie. She had no memories, she just wanted the questions and bizarre explanations to stop. She had gone with Kakarot willingly enough, because for a while, the Saiyan lust for power dwelt within her, but it was then she discovered that her true path fell with Science. But during the training and the long journey to Amqui, periods of silence had fallen where her brain could simply relax. It was then that she remembered Vegita-sei. The sights, sounds, smells, she could picture them all clearly. But she never once saw her supposed father, nor did she see Kakarot. So, when she reached her destination and had settled in, after a long period of learning, and many odd experiments, she had finally run out of ideas of things to experiment on. Then she remembered her bloodline. And here she was now. And orphan again, knowing nothing about herself but her name, race, and power level.  
  
'All that matters to an ordinary Saiyan,' She thought instinctively, but then quickly, quickly corrected herself out loud. "There are no 'ordinary' Saiyans anymore. Vegeta is as close as it comes, and he is not even after blood and power much from what I remember. Ordinary now for a Saiyan is settling down on Earth and taking a wife. Or husband in my case." She chuckled slightly at this thought of 'normality' among her once dominating race. But there was still a problem of who she was. She was most definitely not related to any living Saiyan. She didn't even know how she had survived Vegita-sei's destruction. Maybe... maybe it was finally time to go back to Earth.  
  
******************  
  
"But this idea was shot out of the sky when the planet's ruler, King Maurizio, contracted a terrible disease. This was especially horrible because he was the last of a long line of kind and philanthropic rulers. Without him, it is likely that the planet would still be able to function, but it would be vulnerable to its many enemies. I was called away from personal matters to help discover a solution for the king's predicament."  
  
*****************  
  
The scene- A large meeting hall. The seats are arranged in descending rows to meet a podium that seems tiny from the upper-most aisle. This place is somewhat like an amphitheater. Celeria is seated in the first row with some alumni friends of the Academy of Science and Literature. She graduated with them years and years back. The entire room (it's rather large) is packed. Every last seat is filled with scientists of every kind from all over the planet. The King's own chancellor is the speaker today.  
  
"Friends," He greeted them. "You all know the dire urgency of the King's condition, so you'll forgive me if I dispense with pleasantries. You were called here because you are the best scientists on the planet. I have a mission for you. Identify the King's disease, cause and cure. The instant you discover these things, report to the Royal Palace immediately. You all know what could happen if our King dies without a suitable heir." The advisor looked pale and grim. The King's condition had apparently worsened. "On your way out, you will receive identification cards proving your status in this operation so that if you do discover a cure, all you must do is show it to the guards at the gate and they shall let you through without hesitation. Along with the cards you will receive a sheet of paper listing the symptoms and a sample of the kings cells, DNA, and viral strains. Go now. Hasten your study. May Prospera be with you."  
  
***************  
  
"Who's Prospera?" Gohan interrupted. He received dirty looks from every one of the Z fighters, but Celeria didn't seem to mind explaining.  
  
"Prospera was the founder of the planet. She is suspected to be a goddess, because ancient scripts and drawings describe her as having wings and coming down from the clouds in golden rays of light. She educated the early primitive people of Amqui and helped give them goals to work toward other than the base task of finding food. Some go so far as to say she gave them souls." She said. "Any other questions before I continue?" Gohan started, but stopped as the others glared death at him.  
  
"No," He said meekly. Celeria continued.  
  
  
  
OK, I would make this way longer, but I want to post. I haven't in a long time. Besides, these flashbacks are going to take way long. I know they don't quite tie in with her coming to Earth and messing with the Z senshi's heads yet, but they will. Trust me, I know what I'm doing... sorta... hehe ^.^ EEEE! My Gohan!!! Poor kid, soon the angst is gonna start. He just had to go and torture Cell... FUNi's actually getting better... shocking...well, until next time then, toodles!!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  



	10. Breakdown Chapter 10

Breakdown Chapter 10- Past  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own DBZ, but I do own Celeria!! (Finally, a not-so-evil charachter I can lay claim too!) don't sue, thank you ^.^  
  
Note- Well not much to say aside from that the flashbacks are continuing. enjoy. once again, ******** means flashback mode.  
  
  
************ (look, I used them right away!)  
  
The scene is a palace, and we are looking into what is obviously the King's room. The king himself lays on his bed. He is looking rather old and withered and the effects of his disease are apparent. He is speaking to his gaurds.  
  
"If I die now, you must appoint a worthy citizen to take my place," King Maurizio said hoarsly. "I did not excpect the end to approach so soon, though I was well aware of my old age," He gave a dry crackling laugh. One of the gaurds smiled and bent down next to him.  
  
"Do not worry yourself. We have the best scientists working on a cure." He said reassuringly. Maurizio laughed again, but was interrupted by a fit of harsh coughing, in which a small amount of blood was spat up. When it cleared, he said  
  
"Dear Nicodemus, when will you learn that even in a community built on science, it is not always the answer? I have to die sometime, might as well make it dramatic!" He laughed once more, determined to be ever cheerful. "But I do wish I'd had time to seek out a new ruler. You realize it will be up to you two and my chancellor." He added as an afterthought. Nicodemus nodded and stood again. There was a knock at the door and the other gaurd went to answer it.  
  
"Not so slow, Osgood, you walk as if death was on your back!" The king rasped at the gloomier of the two gaurds. Osgood opened the door and a young man with a bright burst of red hair walked in solemnly.  
  
"Good news, My King," He said quietly. "I have discovered this antidote, and you shall be healed within days of drinking it." He held up a small bottle containing a blue liquid.   
  
"Well! That certainly was quick! Wonderful my boy! What is your name now?" The king asked, struggling to sit up.  
  
"Abayomi, sir. I must insist that you drink this immediately!" He urged.  
  
"No rush! It's not like I'm dying or anything!" The king exclaimed. Abayomi wondered breifly if His Highness had lost his mind, then handed over the bottle.  
  
"Wait!" Osgood said, rushing to the king's side. "We should inspect it before you drink it!"  
  
"Oh come on, I really can't get much worse than this. You really have a bad habit of thinking the worst of people. You should be more like Nicodemus here!" Nicodemus and Osgood both turned red and the king drank his antidote. "See, its not- ACK! I'm dying!" The King grasped his chest and fainted in the bed. The gaurds and Abayomi all rushed to his side though there wasn't anything to be done. The king looked quite dead. Unitl he opened his eyes and burst out laughing.  
"HA! Gotcha! You should have seen the looks on your faces!" Maurizio erupted into laughter as Abayomi, Nicodemus, and Osgood sweatdropped.  
  
**************  
  
"No, it wasn't me who found the cure," Celeria told her avid audiance. "In fact, Abayomi was my worst rival. But it didn't really matter now; The King was cured and I was preparing to come back to Earth. But Someone must really hate me for again my plans were foiled. The King grew ill once more with the same disease- ten times worse. Abayomi's cure no longer worked and we were all dispatched again to discover a new one."  
  
***************  
  
The Scene- Celeria's laboratory once again.  
  
She searched frantically, night and day for the cause of the disease. Find the cause, and you've found the cure. Hopefully. The King's old age made him far more vulnerable to this disease than anyone younger than him. In fact, the disease was contagious, but only to people in the same age range. It was lucky that the King's gaurds were all young, otherwise the castle would be completely defenseless. Very lucky. This disease was incredibly bizzare. She'd never before heard of one that targeted its victims like this. In fact, if she magnified the viral strain enough under her microscope, she could tell by its charechteristcs that it seemed to be modeled specifically to the King's own genetics. Now that was definitely unheard of. If she didn't know better, she'd say that someone had designed this specifically for him. Now there was a theory worth investigating...  
  
***************  
  
"And so I checked it out. It took an extenisive amount of research and experiments, but I finally figured out that no like virus had ever been contracted, and it was definitely synthetic. Now, no one else had come up with a cure, so I put off the mystery of the cause for a while to find it."  
  
****************  
  
All of her notes pointed to one thing- the disease was incurable at this stage. There was also her old assertion- this disease might never have happened but for the King's old age. The only way to get rid of it would have to be for the king to stop aging, or to grow younger. Breifly she wondered if she could stimulate cells and DNA strands to work backwards. But only breifly- then she began experimenting. Soon, she found that she could stimulate DNA under immense heat and pressure, but only for a few seconds before it combusted entirely. In those few seconds, the strands broke their regulating patterns and began a sporadic dance under her microscope, intertwining in ways that went against all laws of nature until they disentegrated. No doubt other scientists had done this, but how could she continue to do this? What she wanted to do was stop the king from ageing, and, if possible make him younger. It was a far off and unrealistic goal, but that was what accentuated Celeria's career.   
  
She tried decreasing the heat and pressure, but still it didn't have the right affect that she was aiming for. She needed the strains to undevelop. after many, many, *many* experiments, she finally began to get it right. The strands stayed together longer, and seemed to shrink. But after a few moments they went back to normal. So Celeria started playing with chemicals.  
  
Many explosions, fires, and clouds of odd colored smoke later, Celeria was inching closer to the answer. In fact, by the time the next explosion threw her against the door, she believed she had gotten it right! The DNA went to the 'youth' stage and remained there. Now all that was neccessary was to test it. She looked around. Fresh out of Cneuts. That was ok, she really didn't like using the little things for experiments anyway.   
  
"Well, here goes nothing. Down the hatch." She gulped down the freezing hot green liquid she had been experimenting with and waited for the results.  
  
****************  
  
"WHAT?" Most of the present Z senshi gaped at her. "You just drank an experimental substance? Without testing it?!" Bulma didn't know whether to be shocked, impressed, or frightened at this amazing statement.  
  
"Yeah, I usually do. I know it's not safe, but I usually run tests before I do. It's not like I use poison."  
  
"Usually run tests?" Bulma sank into a chair.  
  
"What do you mean you don't use poison? Intense heat and pressure, and who knows what else went into that concoction. What's more, it wasn't your DNA you were testing! It could have had far reaching effects that could have damaged your entire body! In fact, are you sure your brain wasn't damaged?" Gohan was with Bulma on this one. It was rather dangerous experimenting on yourself, renowned scientist or no.  
  
"Leave her alone, guys," Goku said easily. "She's obviously okay. Let her finish the story."  
  
"Thank you, Goku." Celeria said. "Anyway, the results *were* somewhat hazardous..."  
  
  
*****************  
  
Almost immediately the concoction took effect. Celeria convulsed in pain as the searing liquid burned its way through her body. She squeezed her eyes shut so tight tears forced their way out, but she didn't scream. She didn't think she could; every organ, nerve, and membrane was screaming and writhing in protest to this torture. And then, long, agonizing seconds later, it stopped. In its place was a dull throbbing resounding through her body. Cautiously, slowly, she stood. Something was definitely happening, but it was unlike anyhting she had ever felt before. Rummageing around in a sort of trance, she found a broom and began to sweep up the shattered glass that had once been the vial containing the serum. She had dropped it when the pain started and had probably cut herself, but she didn't care about that right now. She was confused, but couldn't understand why. The liquid hadn't done anything but cause her a great deal of pain. Oh well, so much for that experiment.  
  
Celeria deposited the shards in her over-flowing trash can, scattering them on the floor again, but not seeming to notice. She sat back down at her desk, cradling her head in her hands. Her body still pulsed. Perhaps she was just hungry. Checking her watch, she was shocked to find it was noon. She had been in her lab almost 24 hours without a break. Now why didn't her Saiyan hunger gene kick in earlier? She got up and stepped out of her lab into the unreasonably bright sunlight. Making her way across the lawn and into her main building, she marveled at the immense noise her stomache was making now that she realized she was starving.   
  
An hour later the remains of a 'small' lunch graced the table in Celeria's kitchen. She leaned back in her chair, surveying the damage and groaned. This was going to take forever to clean up. As she began attacking the mess, a shrill ringging hit her ears. She flung her hands up and groaned, her sensitive ears doubling the noise.  
  
"ANSWER!" She hollered at the telephone. A video screen promptly hovered over to her as an image came into focus. She glared at it as she fondeled her aching ears. "Becky." She nearly hissed.   
  
"You look disrought." Becky said. Becky was one of Celeria's friends from the Acadamy, and also one of the scientists working on the cure. She had carrot-orange hair and blue-green skin. She was elf-like in stature, meaning that she was small and dainty, agile and quick. Her huge pointy ears(think Piccolo), nearly as sensitive as Celeria's, poked out through her hair.  
  
"Could be because me phone just caused me to go half deaf. I keep meaning to fix it." Celeria said as she continued to clean up the table.  
  
"You'd think they'd have robots or something to do that," Becky said. "So how many guests *did* you have over?" She teased.  
  
"Shaddup." Celeria shot, then grinned. "One thing ki *is* good for." She sped around the kitchen, a whirlwind to Becky's eyes, and in minutes the Kitchen was spotless.  
  
"Oh, sure, if you wanna do it the easy way..." Becky grumbled as Celeria came screeching to a halt in front of the screen. She smiled as Becky's eyes went wide.  
  
"What? Why are you staring? You've seen me do that before." Becky continued to gape.  
  
"No, no, it's... um... Celeria, I suggest you find a mirror."  
  
  
************  
  
  
Was that a good cliffhanger, or do you all know what's gonna happen? Ah, in any case, I have a few apologies to make. First- I apologize For taking so long to post this. Second- I apologize for all the scientific crap, when I have no idea if its even remotely possible, plausible, or sane. Third- in a recent fic 'As All Hell Broke Loose', I said Gohan went mystic. I totally botched this transformation; I had no idea what kind of power was involved. If you'd like a professional description, I suggest you read Mike Steele's 'Dragon War'. Ok, thats all. Have a nice day. Toodles ^.^  
  
~mysticGohan33~ 


	11. Breakdown Chapter 11

Breakdown Chapter 11; Praeteritum  
  
Disclaimer- Now where did I put.... hrm.... oh there it is ^.^ *an official looking parrot pops up* 'She doesn't own 'em, SQUAK! don't sue, SQUAK, I'll eat your nose, SQUAK...  
  
  
Note- Don't mind my attack parrot... heh, he has a taste for human flesh. Oooook.... Its been a while... I'm getting requests for action... sorry 'bout that, I get absorbed in flashbacks ^.^ well, I bet you're all wondering what happened to Goten, right? No? You forgot about him? -.- you care so much.... How long could it take to get a couple of senzus, anyway? Well, you uncaring people, you're about to find out!  
  
  
*************  
  
Goten flew through the air, eager to get back to Capsule Corp. A full bag of senzus was tied to his belt; it had taken some convincing to get Korin to believe him when he said there was a possible threat to Earth, but he got what he needed, and plenty of them. Senzus hadn't been required in a while, so Korin natrually had a lot of them.  
  
"I wonder if these things ever go bad?" Goten thought, whizzing through a fluffy cloud. Out of the remains of that cloud, two slitted eyes appeared. It followed the young half-Saiyan nonchalantly.  
  
  
  
__________________  
  
"I'll tell you what happened next straight out." Celeria said. Vegeta was getting bored. "I'm taking too long as it is." She took a deep breath and continued. "I was younger. At the moment, I looked as I had when I first came to Amqui." Gohan drew in a sharp breath, but Trunks spoke first.  
  
"So you sort of created as fountain of youth." He said, somewhat skepticly.  
  
"Yes. Every gene in my body regressed. And whats worse, my condition progressed by the hour. By dawn the next day, I'd be an infant. I'll tell you now, I never worked so hard on a cure in my life. I did find it though, obviously, or else I wouldn't be here. The good news is, I was able to give the Youth Serum to the King, and when he'd un-aged enough so that the virus couldn't attack him anymore, I gave him the cure. And so, he was saved for the time being."  
  
"For the time being?" Piccolo asked, with an arched brow. He didn't want to believe any of this. It hurt his head to think of all his questions. He supposed everything else that they had gone through with her could be explained by an experiment as well.   
  
"Yes for the time being. What happened next could not be expected, though it possibly could have been prevented had the planet's defense system's been better. As it is, the people of Amqui are a little too peaceful. At least, they were." Celeria frowned and paused to take a breath before continuing.  
  
*************  
  
The scene- Celeria has just given the king the cure for the unaging potion. He is much younger now and all of the effects of the virus appear to have vanished.  
  
"Thank you," Said a young King Maurizio. Celeria smiled.  
  
"Not a problem." She looked to be around 17, and the King in his mid-twenties. Celeria had just turned to leave the King's chambers when the door burst open, and in walked to burly, menacing aliens.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?!" Exclaimed Osgood, jumping to the King's side. "How did you get in here?"  
  
"I let them in." Nicodemus said calmly, moving in the middle of the two aliens. "I never expected anyone to find the cure for that virus, but it won't matter soon." He looked pointedly at Celeria. "You, my dear, need to come with me." Celeria crouched down into her old fighting position. She still remembered everything Goku had taught her, and she sensed that all three of them had an evil power signature. Slowly she began powering up, her tail bristling behind her.  
  
*************  
  
"TAIL?!" Vegeta looked suddenly interested. "How did you get your tail back?" He kicked himself mentally for not noticing it while they were fighting, but truthfully it would have been hard to pick out because it was wrapped around her waist and covered by her t-shirt.  
  
"You remember aritificial moonlight? Well, it turns out that with with a few quirks, nips, and tucks here and there, it can be made to bring a Saiyan's tail back." Celeria replied. Vegeta leaned back against the wall, determined that he would learn this technique from her as soon as he could.  
  
**************  
  
Celeria wasn't certain how much she should power up. She wasn't certain if she even should power up; in past experience, anywhere there was great power, there were casualties. But instinct took over and she didn't stop it until she'd hit Super Saiyan.  
  
"All right. I'll come with you. If you can catch me." She flipped back over the abandoned bed and lept out the window, landing on a tree branch outside. Hopefully they'd follow and leave the King and Osgood alone. The plan half-worked.  
  
"You two go after her. I'll stay here. Don't mess up- he wants her alive." Celeria heard Nicodemus' voice, now harsh and commanding, float out to her perch. She jumped back a couple branches as the forms of Nicodemus' two goons flew out and hovered in front of her- both with big stupid grins on their faces. She longed to punch off both the grins and the faces, but fought to keep her Saiyan blood lust under control. She supposed if she hadn't denied her power heritage for so long it wouldn't be trying to take control now.  
  
'Mark that one up to learning.' She thought. "So how fast are you boys?" She inquired. The one to the left grinned wider.   
  
"Fast enough to catch you." Celeria quickly surveyed her opponents. It looked like a classic combination team of strength and speed. The one who had spoken was not as built up as the other. She dubbed him Speedy. The other she named Bulk.  
  
"We'll find out." She said. She wanted to make this fast so she could get back and take care of Nicodemus. Flipping back several branches, she let herself fall through a gap in the trees. Crouching, she waited for Speedy to follow. He didn't.  
  
"Uh-oh." Too late, Celeria realized her error. She hadn't counted on the two goons thinking out a strategy, and here it was. Speedy, if she guessed correctly, would stay to the trees and follow her from there, carefully concealed, and pounce on her the moment she let her gaurd down. She needed to get into an open area. Currently, she was in the Palace courtyard. If none of the other royal officials knew about Nicodemus' treachery, a battle would be the perfect way to alert them. She considered for a moment simply sending a ki ball through the trees, but didn't want to start a fire. She took off at the highest speed, aiming for the courtyard wall. She didn't think there were trees immediately outside, but she'd find out. Dully, she heard explosions behind her, but didn't look back. Another tactic she hadn't counted on; aerial bombing. She could have kicked herself for not learning everything Kakarot had to teach her, but she was to busy dodging the attacks raining down. There was the wall- not two feet in front of her. Half jumping, half flying, she careened over it as another sphere of energy took out a large chunk.  
  
Celeria had been correct in her assumption- there were no trees here. But there were plenty of people. Openly staring people. Fighting was forbidden in the royal grounds. She flew straight up into the air, and sensed Speedy following her. She stopped abruptly and Speedy stopped a few feet across from her. He lunged forward to grab her, but she dodged and sent a small sphere after him. He deflected it and came after her. This time he managed to get a hold of her arm, so Celeria swung around, hoping to send him flying, but he wouldn't let go. Speedy started flying suddenly toward the ground, dragging Celeria after him. She quickly tried to fly in the opposite direction to slow or stop him, but came face to face with Bulk, who grabbed her other arm and joined Speedy in his downward descent. At the last moment they let go and Celeria crashed into the ground causing a small crater. Celeria pryed herself out. It was going to take more than that to keep her down.  
  
'Play to your strengths,' A little voice whispered in her head. She grinned. No problem. Celeria crouched down, pretending she was badly hurt. Speedy and Bulk flew down. She 'tried' to stand, but seemingly didn't manage it.  
  
"Stay away from me!" She hissed out weakly. Bulk and Speedy each grabbed an arm and proceded to carry/drag her back to the palace. She looked up at both of them. They were both completely fooled. Without warning, she dug her feet into the ground and swung her arms back. Caught off gaurd, her two assailants flew backwards. She spun around and flung two potent ki spheres after them. They didn't block them or dodge, and the spheres exploded. When the dust cleared, however, both were still standing, though slightly roughed up. Celeria sighed. She was tiring quickly. She just didn't like fighting, and her instincts weren't working for her much.  
  
'You're thinking too hard. Relax.' The little voice coached. Celeria nodded. Speedy and Bulk rushed forward to take her down. 'Ok Celeria, blocking drills.' Celeria did everything Kakarot had told her about blocking, but the punches still hurt. Defense wasn't her strong suite. Flying back up into the haven of the sky, she sent a shower of ki down on them. They dodged most of them and followed her. She didn't let them get close enough, however. She sent a decent-sized ki sphere at them, and while they blocked it she looped them so they were above her.  
  
"Kamehame-" The two warriors heard her and turned, having deflected the previous blast. "HA!" Goku's specialized attack flew at them head on. They had no chance. Celeria powered down, feeling slightly sick. She had just killed two people, and got the feeling they wouldn't be the last. She was right.  
  
"Hello, Celeria." Spinning around and reaching for her power again, Celeria came face-to-face with Nicodemus. Her first thought was about the king. He would be ungaurded now, and- "Uh-uh." Nicodemus said. "I've still got a gaurd at the castle. They will kill the king, if neccessary." Celeria didn't answer. Her speed was her strongest asset, she might be able to get to the palace before Nicodemus did anything. "Are you willing to bet your speed against mine? You have no way of knowing who's faster until you try," Nicodemus told her.  
  
"How are you doing that?!" Celeria demanded, fuming that her own thoughts weren't safe.  
  
"It's a perk that comes with developed power. I'm surprised; most Saiyans have a strong mental sheild. Of course, most Saiyans know how to fight as well." Celeria kept her rage in check. She wasn't going to get mad. "But I guess you're not normal, are you? Imagine that- one genius out of a whole barrel of stupid monkeys."   
  
She got mad. Power barrier snapping, she flooded into her Super Saiyan form for the second time that day and aimed a punch directly at Nicodemus' nose. With lightning-fast reflexes, he caught her hand inches away from his face and twisted her wrist around so it almost broke. Celeria cried out and brought up her other fist, glowing with ki, into his chest. But Nicodemus caught it, too, before it reached it's destination. As Celeria tried to pull away, he tightened his grip and brought his knee up into her torso. Celeria felt blood rising into her mouth, and, on a sudden impulse, spat it into Nicodemus eye. Shocked at this unusual tactic, and with his eye burning, Nicodemus let go to clutch his face. Not missing a beat, Celeria brought her knee up into his chest, repaying him, then dropped down and swept her leg under him so he fell flat on his back. The blood that had come up when Celeria hit him the first time was swallowed when Nicodemus fell. As he stood up, shaking and looking as though he was about to be sick, Celeria made her escape.  
  
She prayed that this small skirmish wasn't just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe this was just one gaurd with a few buddies and a lust for power. Maybe. Hopefully. Probably not. She doubted Nicodemus was smart enough to develop a virus like that. Speaking of Nicodemus, she sensed him coming up behind her. Sure enough, a ki blast whizzed by just over her head. She wasn't far from the palace at all, but knew she'd have to stop and fight. Screeching to a halt, she faced Nicodemus.  
  
"You wanna dance? Then let's dance." Celeria began charging a rather potent ki blast in her right hand- the other was still hurting from her last attempt at attacking him. When it was ready, she flung it at the traitor with all her rage. He didn't move. He didn't block. The blast hit him and exploded, causing a cloud of smoke. Celeria wasn't fooled; she could still sense his ki, strong as ever. She was, however, frightened. Nicodemus had let that blast hit him like it was nothing. He was obviously stronger than he looked, though she couldn't sense it.  
  
"Ready to run yet?" He asked confidently.  
  
"Not today," Celeria snapped, wondering why she wasn't getting any help. She wasn't the only warrior on the planet.  
  
"You're right, you're not the only warrior. The rest of them, however, are on my side." Celeria groaned; she had forgotten Nicodemus could sense her thoughts. She vowed that she would develop a mental sheild within the next ten seconds- and she did, too. it wasn't to dificult; it was instinct. Her opponent, however, was not impresseed. "This is taking far too long," He yawned and switched from careless to attacking in a split second, and Celeria found herself overwhelmed by his sheer power. Nicodemus wasn't holding anything back. If he was, Celeria didn't want to try to fathom his power.  
  
Trying to break away from the battle, Celeria prepared to charge another blast. When she finally saw an oppening, however, and put some distance between herself and him, the attack did nothing. Not wanting to loose a second, she launched into her next attack.  
  
"Kamehameha!" She loosed the bright blue energy on a dead-center course for Nicodemus, who only countered it at the very last second. With one hand, he produced a yellow beam that countered the Kamehameha and began pushing it back. Celeria poured most of her enregy into them beam and managed to keep it level with Nicodemus', but then he brought up his other hand. With both hands behind his attack, he sent the beams crashing back at her to explode violently. When the dust cleared, Celeria was still hovering, though she had left the Super Saiyan state and was favoring her left arm. Nicodemus grinned nastily.  
  
"Game over. You lose."  
  
"Not yet," Celeria protested breathlessly. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'll fight you until I'm dead!" With that, she sent a weak blast at Nicodemus, who simply put up his hand and deflected it.  
  
"Oh no, that will never do. My orders were to keep you alive, and conscious, if possible. So do try to stay awake." Then, quick as ever, he sped behind Celeria and twisted both her arms behind her back. Celeria gritted her teeth and refused to scream, though her left arm was sending searing pain to the rest of her body. Nicodemus began flying to some remote area, still holding tightly to his captive. At first, she struggled weakly, but each time she tried to break free he tightened his grip on her left arm. Deciding she needed to be in the best possible condition for whatever lay ahead, she went quietly.  
  
**************  
  
  
Goten was still miles from Capsule Corp. when he sensed something following him. Turning around quickly, he saw only clouds, and continued on his way. Shortly, he felt it again, and spun around again, but still saw only clouds. Then one of the clouds attacked.   
  
Out of one of the clouds burst a golden-yellow beam that caught the unsuspecting Goten right in the stomach. He recovered and sent a small blast of his own toward the offending cloud to try and discover what was hiding in it. As its hide-ouit evaporated, a creature of some sort leapt from the cloud and flew directly at Goten. Goten got ready to block an attack, but then the thing brought up a tail out of nowhere and wrapped it around his neck. Before the demi-Saiyan could even power up, his air supply was cut off and he began to fall, unconcious, from the sky. The creature caught him and began to tow him away.  
  
***************  
  
  
Wow, two kidnappings in one part ^.^ not bad, if I do say so myself... and I do. How was the fight scene? Not too terrible, I hope... Well, once again I apologize for the lateness of this part. Before I end this, however, some of you may be wondering why Celeria sometime calls Goku Kakarot, and other times just calls him Goku. Well, it's because she thinks that he should be called Kakarot, but respects his descision to be called Goku. So while he's not around, she calls him either one. If you have any questions, ask them, but I'll warn you, you'll most likely get a long-winded explaination ^.^ So, until next time, toodles ^.^  
  
~mysticGohan33~  



	12. Breakdown Chapter 12

Breakdown Chapter 12  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em  
  
Note- No note : )  
  
*********  
  
Celeria was getting impatient. The pain in her left arm had dulled considerably thanks to her speedy healing system and now she was trying to convince Nicodemus that she sould fly on her own. However, he wasn't stupid and did not loosen his grip. Her protests stopped abruptly, however when Nicodemus slammed a huge amount of energy through her system. Celeria's head snapped back and she gasped in pain as ki that was not her own ripped through her system.  
  
"How-" She started, but Nicodemus sent another jolt and she shut up. She had a lot to ponder now. This was advanced ki handeling. How did he learn to do that and make it so painful? It felt like a thousand knives had ripped through her veins a few times then vanished. That wasn't natural; one person should not carry another's ki unless it was a case of fusing.   
  
Nicodemus slowed his flight and began to descend. There were, Celeria noticed after they had landed, two very small pods well camouflaged in this desert area. Nicodemus shoved celeria into one of the single-person capsules, and, standing over the door, spoke to her for the first time since they'd fought.   
  
"Don't try anything stupid. The coordinates are set for a master ship. Try to change them, and I blast you to Hell." Nicodemus' voice was low and threatening. His face seemed oddly twisted in some sort of pain, but Celeria couldn't understand why. Nicodemus left for his own pod and the door closed swiftly. As her ship took off shakely, she made sure she had a small ki sheild up, then made sure she had her newly-discovered mentle block up. Next she surveyed the control panel.  
  
Celeria knew what to do to change to coordinates to somewhere safe. All she needed to do was pull up a map and change what Nicodemus had set. There were a few problems with that. One: the ship was moving very quickly to it's destination and if she was going to do something, she ought to do it NOW. The second problem involved doing it now. Nicodemus had locked the maps and she was having a surprisingly hard time hacking into them. The last thing that was preventing her from escaping was Nicodemus' threat of killing her if she tried anything. There was no doubt in her mind that this threat was idle- Nicodemus had a problem. Even from her ship she could feel the furious flux and fade of his higher-than-normal ki. Perhaps that little trick earlier had done it? In any case, she was almost certain her ki sheild wouldn't protect her if Nicodemus truly was intending to kill. She needn't have worried about all these things anyway; the journey was short- no more than five minutes. Both ships landed at a loading dock on much, much larger ship orbiting Amqui. Nicodemus opened her door and pulled her out, barking at a couple of the gaurds as he passed for some restraints.  
  
"She's for the boss." He explained, tossing Celeria easily over his shoulder and carrying her into the depths of the ship.  
  
"You know, I *can* walk." Celeria muttered, propping her elbow on his back and resting her chin in her hand.  
  
"Shut up. You'll be lucky if you live through the next half an hour if you keep that up." He growled. Celeria frowned deeper. Was that a warning? She was expecting more of the knife experiance. But despite this caution, did she shut her mouth? Of course not.  
  
"I don't see what the big deal is. Coulda just killed me." She grumbled. Nicodemus stopped.  
  
"Is that a complaint?" He growled.  
  
"Is that a threat?" She replied, amazed at her own stupidity. 'Shut up shut up shut up!' she yelled at herself. But something she said must have worked, because the ex-gaurd now set his captive down in front of him and held her firmly by the shoulders. Celeria braced herself for more pain, but it didn't come.  
  
"Are you crazy?!" Nicodemus wanted to know. It sounded like he couldn't decide whether to whisper or yell.  
  
"Maybe." Celeria said, not being able to help herself. 'Stop stop stop stop stop!' Her inner voice yelled again. Nicodemus let go of her shoulders. 'Run away!' She ignored it. "What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"Run. Go on. He'll kill me for it, but I'm dying anyway, and chances are he'll find you and kill you too, but it's better to die free." Nicodemus was talking in low, breathless tones. Celeria could see madness in his eyes. Suddenly he fell face-first onto the tile. Not quite knowing what to do, Celeria was broken between running and helping him.  
  
"What am I, crazy?" She began to bolt down the hallway back to the pods when she heard Nicodemus roll over behind her. "Damn." She turned around, picked him up, and flew as fast as she could back down the hallway, all the while swearing in every language she knew. The gaurd's bulk was making this difficult, and the scrawny gaurds getting in her way weren't helping either. Soon the entire ship would know of the disturbance. Hoping to get away, she turned down another corridor, but met a dead end. She heard the boots of the officers catching up and had a sudden brainstorm. Setting her burden down against a wall, she began focusing her energy. Her aura turned red, then blue, then purple, then vanished. Her hair had shortened to boy's length and was black. She had changed her physical appearance entirely- she was bulkier and had more of the appearance of a man. She couldn't, however, change her voice. Looking herself over, she compared to Nicodemus.  
  
"Not bad. It's a stretch on the muscles, but I can fake the voice." Unfortunately, she wasn't wearing Nicodemus' gaurd uniform, but hopefully no one would notice. Her baggy outfit would hide some of her features that she hadn't been able to morph.  
  
*************  
  
"So *that's* how you did it." Goku said admiringly. Celeria blushed slightly.  
  
"I can't make the full change into somebody else. I'll never be anyone's exact twin. I can't change into anything. I just mostly change my face."  
  
"How?" Gohan asked, thoughtfully. Vegeta was beyond caring. He was bored. He wanted action. He wanted his tail back.  
  
"Well, you know how when you go Super Saiyan, your hair changes to blond? Well, this was one of my experiments in ki. I thought that perhaps it was the amount of ki flowing through your entire body that affected the hair fibers. And it was. It's not worth doing for long periods of time, though. Keeping your hair a certain length and color does take some concentration at first- willpower. After you've got the hang of it, it's still not a good idea to do it all the time. It takes a very small amount of ki, but time tells on everyone." Gohan nodded. Bulma was scribbling away in a notebook and had a tape recorder catching everything. Trunks was wondering where Goten was.  
  
************  
  
Celeria cleared her throat and stepped into the hallway.  
  
"She ran that way! Catch her, or the boss will be angry!" She proclaimed, hoping this was motivation enough to get the crowd of gaurds moving. A few took off immediately, some hesitated, then left. A few eyed her warily, then left. One remained.  
  
"Where is your uniform?"  
  
"How is that important? We need that girl!" The gaurd didn't budge. Celeria could feel his eyes scanning her carefully as if to detect some fraud. Then he tried to look past her into the dead-end hall where Nicodemus- the real Nicodemus- was stashed. She moved to block his line of vision.  
  
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to move now. I don't care how favored you are with the boss, if he finds out you are hiding the key his greatest experiment, he'll kill you." The gaurd smiled evilly. Celeria returned it with a genuine Saiyan smirk, which looked rather out of place on Nicodemus' face.  
  
"Then I'll just have to kill you first." She quickly discharged a blast through the gaurd's stomache. The look of anger and confusion froze on his face as he dropped to the floor, motionless. Celeria shuddered. Her Saiyan side had taken over again. Wait, what was she thinking? She was entirely Saiyan. Better to say her blood-thirsty side had taken over.   
  
She ran back Nicodemus, who was still unconscious and changed back to herself. Picking up Nicodemus again, she ran back out into the main hallway looking for an exit. She went the way the group of gaurds minus one had gone, hoping that if any other gaurds were coming they'd come from the other direction and thus be at her back. Multiple hallways branched off. Clusters of powers were huddled at the ends of most of them, so she avoided them. She came upon a particularly long hallway and didn't sense any powers down it. Hoping it was a shuttle dock or some way of getting back to Amqui or some other planet, she flew down it as fast as she dared with her injured burden.   
  
The hallway twisted infinitely, but nothing branched off. No rooms, no doors, nothing adorning the bleak walls. It made Celeria nervous; she hadn't even known the ship was this long!  
Thankfully, after a final turn, the hall ended at a metal door. She sensed no power behind it, and prayed this was what she was looking for. Looking around for a way to open it, her eyes fell on a panel to the right. It looked like the door opened by code. She sighed.  
  
"This will never do," Depositing Nicodemus yet again, she knelt to examine it more closely. It was a basic panel. One code opened it, and the wrong combination of symbols would alert everyone on the ship to an intruder's prescence. She could always force her way through, but there were most likely alarms triggered with the door, too.  
  
Tearing the metal panel off the wall, she exposed the bare wires. Now here was a surprise- the innards of this particular panel were slightly different than she'd expected. She still held the panel in her hand and attached to the back of each button were wires of all different colors. The wires went back into the wall. Each wire triggered a diffrerent sensor. If you pressed the wrong wires in the wrong order, the alarms would go off. There was no way to tell which wires were safe; they were all a different color.  
  
"Nicodemus. Wake up!" Celeria shook him slightly and he half opened his eyes painfully. Celeria explained the situation.  
  
"Panel's a decoy," Nicodemus breathed. "Don't, it's a trap!" And he passed out again. Celeria didn't know what was wrong with him. Fine one moment, in agony the next was not normal. Then again, nothing was anymore. Ok, so the panel was a decoy. There *was* no correct code. What did she do to get in? Did she even want to get in anymore?  
  
"Nicodemus, get up!" She urged. She was fairly certain no one would follow her down this hall since they hadn't already, and if they did she'd hear thm coming. But she needed to get off this ship to help the King and the rest of the planet. Without warning, however, the door slid open on its own! It was totally dark inside. Celeria threw a small ki ball to light it up, but the darkness swallowed it. Taking a deep breath, Celeria realized the only way to get off the ship was through there. She hoisted Nicodemus onto her shoulder and stepped inside. The moment she was in, the door slid shut and the lights clicked on.  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
*******************  
  
Goten came to some time later in a dark room, in a most awkward position. He was bound securly, his arms pinned to his sides by a rope of some sort, which, try as he might, he could not break. He was dangling, oddly enough, from the ceiling. As he struggled against his bonds uselessly, he turned ridiculously in a slow circle. He couldn't see the ground beneath him, so he guessed he was high up. He decided powering up was probably a good idea in this situation, and reached for his Super Saiyan power. It did not come.   
  
Just as he started to build the power, an unfamiliar ki tore through his body. Goten didn't scream. He knew now that his assailent was present, and would not give it the satisfaction of hearing his pain. As quickly as it came, the ki vanished, leaving Goten feeling... wrong. One person's ki was not meant for someone else's body.  
  
Well this was just a ducky situation. He couldn't alert anyone of his plight if he couldn't power up. And to make matters worse, the senzus he'd gotten were gone.  
  
  
  
The end of this part ^.^ finally got it out.. certainly took me long enough. Hope you liked, and trust me, I'm almost done with having Celeria dominate the entire fic, cuz if you're not getting tired of it, I am. I just need to explain what she went through so you can understand better. ^.^ Don't worry, it's almost over. Read, reveiw, and until next time, toodles.  
  
~mysticGohan33~  



	13. Breakdown Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Disclaimer- Do not own em, wish I did, same old story  
  
Note- this one is coming out faster! I GUARUNTEE IT! even if I can't spell guarentee...*sigh* oh well. I really need to finish at least one fic up totally, so for those of you who are reading 'Orphaned' as well, its gonna be a while. I seem sort of blocked on that story, and so many ideas are ramming into my head at once, I have to get at least one out. So here it is.  
  
*****  
  
"Oh shit." Celeria turned to leave the room as quickly as possible, then remembered the door had closed. Desperately, she sent a ki blast into it, but amazingly, the door held. She knew now, that like the rest of her race, she'd have to face the nightmare behind her. She put down Nicodemus yet again and turned to face him. The room suddenly began to lighten. The oppressing darkness seemed to lift, and in the dim light, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was not Freiza, but someone who looked remarkably like him. Perhaps she could take him on, if he wasn't hiding his power.  
  
"Don't be relieved yet," The thing said. He even *sounded* like Freiza. If Celeria didn't know better, she'd say it was the tyrant, only with a bad sunburn. But she DID know better. The vision of Freiza was etched into the farthest corner of every Saiyan's mind. He was the only force who could control them. He was the dark cloud that blotted out her race's light forever. This was not he. But it was just as evil. She could tell by his voice alone.  
  
The thing's eyes flicked toward Nicodemus. "Funny," He mused. "I somehow thought this would be the other way around." He said referring to the former gaurd's condition.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Queried Celeria. She felt confident she could take him on. His power would be nothing next to her Super Saiyan form.  
  
"I? Nothing. He did it to himself."  
  
"How am I supposed to believe that? What do you want with this planet?!" She demanded, wanting answers.  
  
"What every other genius villain wants. Power. Technology. Power."  
  
"Your modesty is killing me. What do you need me for? And him?"   
  
"The time for talk is over. You are mine now. Since I know you won't submit willingly, we can skip that part." Faster than anything Celeria had seen aside from during her breif training with Goku, he was on top of her with his knee in her stomache and and elbow driven into her spine. Her body took a moment to react, then sent pain through ever nerve. Her assailent stepped off and she fell to the floor. Without even waiting for her to recover, he kicked her across the room and sent a ki blast after her. It exploded on contact, and the last thing she knew was darkness.  
  
*****  
  
Darkness. Goten was surrounded by it, and was thouroughly bored with it. After the first try he no longer attempted to power up. He wouldn't experiance that pain again for anything, if he could help it. But it was unnerving how even his hightened senses couldn't detect anything in the area he was trapped. Pitch black. It would drive him crazy if nothing happened. Why kidnap him if not to *do* something with him?  
  
"Well? What do you want?!" Goten called out, annoyed. He bet this never happened to Gohan. Whenever his brother was kidnapped he was promptly brainwashed, not strung from the ceiling and left in the dark, so to speak.  
  
"Oh the usual," A voice replied. Goten was surprised. He wasn't expecting an answer. "An end to the Saiyan race and undisputed power. Your life, Son Goku. Or should I say Kakarot?"  
  
Goku? Kakarot? So that was it. The person behind this wanted his dad, but had taken him by mistake.  
  
"It looks as though that little scientist already got to you with that youth thing of hers, but it doesn't really matter. You're helpless." The voice chuckled. Goten decided to keep the fact that he wasn't his father to himself. If he told his captor differently, he... or it... might go after his dad, and that was the last thing Goten wanted. The first thing Goten wanted was to warn his friends, but that looked pretty impossible at this point.  
  
*****   
  
Celeria opened her eyes a few hours later. Her wounds were not serious, but her predicament was. She was caught and tightly bound... dangling? From the ceiling?  
  
"Just how bored were you?" She called out to the Freiza look alike who was tinkering around in a laboratory below her.  
  
"Oh you're awake! Not bored at all, my dear. I find this the most suitable means of holding my more powerful... employees. Go ahead, try to break free." He answered. She looked up at the coil that held her arms to her sides. Where it met the ceiling, she could just make out a bunch of wires. She had a pretty good idea what would come of her powering up to get loose, so she decided against it. As for her breaking the ties without ki, it wasn't going to happen. The guy below saw her actions and smiled. "Smart girl," Said he. "That's why you're here of course." Finally, they were getting around to the information she needed!  
  
"Yes, do tell." She prodded. Glancing about the room she saw Nicodemus slouched against a wall, still not moving.  
  
"Well actually, any scientist would have done as well, you just happened to be my choice."  
  
"Oh good, that saves me the trouble of being flattered." She said dryly.  
  
"Well, your backround helped. One of many survivors of the planet my cousin so vapidly blew up, you are an ideal target. You are the last of a species I WANT DEAD!" He said these last words with such a force of malice Celeria gasped. But that was nothing compared to her reaction when the meaning of the words hit her.  
  
"The...last?" She gasped, telling herself it wasn't true.  
  
"The last. Your friends on Earth are dead. Along with all other survivors of the planet Vegeta. There weren't many, but I tracked them all down."  
  
"There were others? My friends..." Celeria didn't know which was more shocking. She told herself not to believe a word of her friends' death, but she knew it was always possible. The fact that there might be other survivors was surprising at first, but she suposed it was possible.  
  
"There were others." He confirmed. "As usual, my dear, dear cousin was careless when he destroyed your race, and I was left to pick up after him." Seeing the obvious question in his captive's eyes, he continued. "Like my entire family, I have an inborn loathing for Saiyans, as they have an inborn loathing for me and my kind. Coincidently, both races have more or less met their end through eachother. Our kind will always be fighting. It's a cosmic fate."  
  
"That doesn't mean you have to help it along! What happened to the Saiyans of Earth?"  
  
"Spare me your peace talks. I killed them."  
  
"No. You didn't." Celeria couldn't believe it. She WOULD NOT! True, she couldn't feel all the way to Earth for the kis she knew so well, but she just couldn't be the last Saiyan. She'd feel it. She'd know. "I'm not the last." She whispered so that her captor couldn't hear. Then she turned on the tears. Time for some acting.  
  
"You mean there were others and I didn't seek them out?!" She demanded through false sobs. "You killed my friends... my brother?" Though Celeria knew Kakarot was not her brother, she did not know if this guy did. She wasn't sure what difference it might make, but it couldn't hurt.  
  
"Your brother, your prince, and every one of the halflings!" He cackled gleefully.  
  
"Fine then. Kill me." She stated, knowing he wouldn't. He still needed something. Let him think he was torturing her by keeping her alive. And apparently, he did.  
  
"No, I can't kill you yet. I need your help on something first, then I'll kill you." She swallowed hard, knowing he was serious.  
  
"If we are cosmically destined to fight, how can I help you?" She asked, testing her luck. Luckily, this guy didn't seem to mind answering a lot of questions.  
  
"Notice Nicodemus." He said gesturing to the hunched over gaurd on the floor. "His time is almost up."  
  
"What...what do you mean?"  
  
"I tested an experiment on him. One to raise the power level. Unfortunately, it has a side effect. Well, you'll see soon enough." Celeria looked worriedly at her short-termed companion. She knew somehow he didn't want this lot in life, but he was forced into it. What was going to happen to him now?  
  
As if in response to her thoughts, Nicodemus' body convulsed. Celeria twitched anxiously. She sensed a large flux in his power! It felt like... perhaps an overload? Oh dear... She twisted her neck away at just the right moment, for just then there was a deafening bang, and another, unidentifiable sound, that sounded horribly like blood and guts splattering against the wall. Celeria forced her eyes open and looked back. Nicodemus, if even he could be recognized as that, was undoubtably dead.  
  
"You monster," Celeria growled.  
  
"I'm the monster? *He* came to *me* looking to be stronger." The Freiza clone said casually.  
  
"Did you tell him about the 'side effect'?" She spat. Silence. "You monster," She reiterated. She knew what he needed her for. If she refused, he'd kill her and pick another scientist out of the myriads on the planet. But one thing she still didn't understand... "Why me?"  
  
"Imagine if a Saiyan helped me, the bane of all Saiyans, acheive unlimited power? The irony!"  
  
"Imagine if the Saiyan refused."  
  
"Imagine if the Saiyan got all her friends killed."  
  
"Imagine if the Saiyan didn't care."  
  
"Imagine if the Saiyan's captor saw right through her lies."  
  
"You wouldn't go that far just for irony." Celeria said, hoping to call his bluff.  
  
"Wouldn't I? Care to gamble on that one?"  
  
"Damn you!" Celeria yelled, but furthur curses were cut off by searing pain tearing through her veins.  
  
"We must learn to watch our mouth, mustn't we?" He taunted. Celeria muttered something inaudible and received another short jolt. Though she was angry, captured, and forced to keep her raging power level under control, she paused to marvel at what was obviously ingenious technology.   
  
"Now then. If we are to work together, you must at least know my name." Celeria felt herself being lowered. "I am Char, the last of the Changelings who were so...accented... by Freiza. I'm supposed to be dead. And I know everything about you already, so we can get to work!"  
Like tentacles, the ropes holding Celeria slithered into the ceiling and she landed lightly on the floor. She eyed the room. The only entrance/exit seemed to be the way she came in. She considered running, but didn't know how powerful this guy was. Oh well... nothing to loose.   
  
Celeria broke for the door with all her speed, but Char phased in front of her. He raised a hand, and struck. End of scene, fade to black.  
  
  
*********  
  
Goten had an idea. If he raised his powerlevel he could alert the rest of the Z senshi to the impending danger. All he had to do was survive the torture that came with his summoning power. 'Let's hope this works.' Goten braced himself for pain, hoping his attacker wouldn't stop him.  
  
*****  
  
  
Short, I know. And it took forever, I know. i'm pathetic. so, please review for this pathetic author ^.^ toodles.  
  
~mysticGohan33~  



	14. Breakdown Chapter 14

Breakdown Chapter 14  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own 'em  
  
Non-Author-Note- I've decided to put all my author notes at the end of each chapter from now on (don't ask what this is, then) Because I often find that I put a note, then type the chapter, then by the time I'm done, the note no longer applies... oops ^.^ oh well... easily remedied. Read on!  
  
******  
  
Celeria awoke neither in a cell, nor suspended from the ceiling again, but on the floor of what looked like a laboratory. She got shakily to her feet, testing her balance and the extent of her injuries. They weren't much. Just a dull throbbing in the back of her head from where Char had hit her... now to the laboratory.  
  
First off, it was much too neat and orderly. Any laboratory she made use of had to have papers strewn everywhere, countless stains adorning walls and ceilings, and at LEAST a few scorch marks. This one was immaculate. Secondly it was too bright. Bright flourescent lights overhead illuminated a stainless steel table and stark white walls and floor. In the center of the table was a laptop. She opened it cautiously and a document came up on the screen. Scanning the file, she realized it was a compilation of notes on the project her captor expected her to work on. Successes and failures of certain parts of the power-hightening project... it seemed her predessesors had all figured out different clues to the puzzle, but there was still a large factor remaing; adapting the host.  
  
'Well, I wouldn't mind blowing HIM sky high...' She thought, scrolling through the pages. Most of the tests had had drastic outcomes that killed the test subject, or the scientist him (or her) self. The scientists who had not brought their own deaths upon themselves had been killed by Char for repeated failure. Celeria swallowed hard. This was a data log of at least twenty different scientists, most, she derived from the journal, had been held here against their will. How long, she wondered silently, had these abductions been going on without the democracy knowing? Or had they known? Celeria remembered Nicodemus. The King's own gaurd turned traitor... how many more like him were there? Were they even all from this planet? Celeria shook herself away from pointless questions and focused on the task at hand. Char wanted results, and she didn't want to give them to him.  
  
The obvious answer was to deliberately mess up, then give whatever she came out with to Char and hope he'd explode or something. However, the journals mentioned test subjects, and it would never do to explode an innocent... whatever it was she was testing. Unless it wasn't innocent. She'd have to wait and find out about that one. Meanwhile there was lots of fun to be had with what she assumed was to be her prison. Celeria took up some interesting-looking liquids...  
  
  
____________  
  
  
Char watched Celeria from his main room. He was glad to see her inquisitiveness had not been hurt. But still, there was no way she'd ever agree to work for him. He'd had plenty experiance with Saiyan stubborness and will power. He'd lost on Earth because of it, when he clearly should have won in power and tact. No matter. He would beat them down with brute force this time. He turned from the monitor displaying the girl and began rummaging through his cluttered laboratory. In his hasty departure form Earth, he'd not had a chance to take with him any of his toys, but luckily he could recreate them from memory, or access his ship's computer. He'd had a few items in the ship he left in, but they definitely weren't useful in this aspect of work.  
  
Now then, what WOULD be useful? Energy draining? No. Giant Lasers? No. Teleportation devices? No. Regen tanks? No. Mind control chip? No... wait... mind control. Char straightened. The chip he held in his hand would control the human mind and make the subject slave to whoever held the mainframe computer. Now Celeria was Saiyan, but with a few modifications, the chip could be made to work for her body. Yes... this would do rather nicely. He grinned. There was no longer any need to bargain with her, or threaten. She'd do what he wanted now, no questions asked. He set to work modifying the chip.  
  
_____________  
  
For the first time in a while, Celeria began thinking straight. If she perfected this experiment, whoever- or whatever- she tested it on would become stronger. Strong enough to take on Char. Unfortunately, Char had considered this as well. The lights suddenly flickered off and Celeria dropped the bottles she was holding. As a bright puff of smoke lit up the room momentarily as every horror movie she'd ever seen came rushing back to her. A dark figure with a large weapon-ish thing laughed maniacly and advanced on her. A sound disturbingly like a chainsaw filled the air and Celeria screamed in pain as surgery without anesthesia was performed.  
  
______  
  
  
Celeria woke up on the floor of her lab sometime later with a splitting headache. which was reasonable, considering what had happened a few hours before. Her hair was matted to the back of her neck by a nice clump of dried blood. Her blood, she realized. Rolling over, she noted a sizeable amount on the floor as well. At least the room wasn't so stark anymore... She decided to attempt sitting up. that went well enouhg. She got slowly to her knees, forcing her vision to stay clear through the white spots that threatened to overturn her. She paused here. Would she be able to stand? the lab table was a few feet away; it could support her weight if she needed it to. She began to rise, and gained her feet just as-  
  
*PHZZT*  
  
From the base of her neck came jolts of electricity. Celeria's back arched and her mouth formed a silent scream. She realized now what had been done to her and even felt herself losing control of her thoughts. Just before the independant Celeria's mind was completely given over to the dark side (quite literally, actually, as her vision was growing dim.) she saw the triumphant form of Char. Her lips twisted in one last action of defiance and she managed to whisper  
  
"Remember Freiza." Then, all was dark. Celeria- the new and 'improved'- stepped forward. Char grinned. He WOULD remember Freiza, and not make the same mistake he had with Vegeta. Celeria would have no freedom and would not escape. If ever a treacherous thought crossed her mind (and he WOULD be able to tell) he could zap it out of her. Remember Freiza? Only by his stupidity.  
  
_________  
  
For the next year or so, Celeria did everything for Char. Shortly, the equation for ultimate power was discovered. However, forgetting Freiza, Char allowed Celeria to live. Together, the two of them conquered uncountable planets. Char was happy and profited from each new venture, and the best part was his partner didn't demand a cut of anything. However, all technology becomes outdated, and eventually, Celeria- the real Celeria- faught her way back to the surface. It happened before Char could realize it and even before Celeria quite knew what was happening. All she knew was that it was like waking up from a long nap to find herself standing next to Char with him rattling on about some planet or another. She barely recalled what had happened before the chip in her head pushed her back again. Next time, however, she would be quicker to react.  
  
The next time Celeria surfaced, she was in the middle of destroying some civilization. Quickly figuring where she was, she allowed one of the pitiful attacks being hurled by the villagers to hit her. Feigning great weakness, she dropped to the ground, and didn't move. She heard the cheers go up from the villagers and Char's voice over the...scouter??? The fool, he hadn't remembered his cousin. He had done the same thing! Celeria also found she was dressed in Saiyan-like armor... of all the ridiculous things...  
  
"Celeria what has happened?" Demanded an angry Char. Knowing Char might regain control at any moment, she tore off the scouter and crushed it. The people of the planet, seeing her active once more, let out a unanimous scream and fled.  
  
'Cowards,' Celeria scoffed inwardly, then proceeded to feel around the back of her neck. Sure enough, there was a tiny lump that should not have been. Wincing at what was about to come, she dug her nails (which had grown long, and filed perfectly for some reason beyond her) into the skin. She felt the hot blood trickle between her fingers and a shot of pain sent through her nervous system, but she didn't give it up, and within minutes of agony, the chip was extracted. Crushing it underfoot and counting on her healing system to close the wound, she fled for the planet's transportation system. Aquiring a small ship and immediately hacking through the security codes, she took off. Destination: Earth.  
  
In his ship, Char was livid. He had been duped by a Saiyan who now had a head start on him by a few light years. Hyperspeed was a very handy invention, but Char's ship, being built to live in and be a fully functioning system to support hundreds of lives, (his 'employees', of course), did not have the function.   
  
"Pick up her trail!" He ordered, growing angrier by the second. I want Amqui destroyed; she might try there. Destroy all the captives as well!" It was done. In an instant, the planet was no more. Everyone- the professor, and Celeria's friend Becky- was executed immediately after a year or so of imprisonment.  
  
***************  
  
"Son Goku, I grow impatient. Where are you friends?" Demanded an irritated voice from somewhere in the blackness. Goten winced.he had tryed to raise his power, but he was helpless against the bonds holding him. "If they don't come, you are useless to me. I will seek them out one by one instead. And you each will die slowly and painfully, without the glory of battle. You first." Without warning, a fist- or foot, Goten couldn't tell which- found it's way through the pitch and into his ribs. Goten made no sound. The attacks came again and again, harder each time and Goten felt his ribs crack. He spat the small amount of blood that rose in his throat to the ground, where it landed with a distant *plink*. Goten breathed heavily. The attacks stopped. He heard a small swish and assumed his assailent had left the room. How long would this go on?  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^  
  
  
HAHA! FINISHED! I would have like to go into the torturing of Goten more extensively, but that's going to have to wait because I just realized I havenn't posted in quite a bit of time. So, for those who were wondering, no, i did not keel over and die, i'm still here ^.^ too bad, huh? oh well, this fic is almost done, not to worry. so, please review. and also, i have a question to beg of you. When Goten spat out the blood, what sound effect do you think would go best with that? I used plink, but a friend of mine thinks splat would have been better. i was also considering plip, plunk, and smack. What do you think? I just couldn't find the right word... lemme know. toodles till next time. Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. my traditional excuse for being not-so-frequent with the updates... well, you're either going to laugh, cry, or come after me with torches and pitchforks. I had it done a while ago, but forgot about it.... so i didn't get it posted till now... sorry. Not to mention I had to take time to wade through a million e-mails a day (thank you, Mr. Steele) ^.^ toodles for real now  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  



	15. Breakdown Chapter 15

Breakdown: Chapter 15  
  
Disclaimer: Same as all the others. I own nothing nothing nothing nothing....  
  
Note: I'm done with flashbacks, so here's where it gets good again. Disregard the *** they're only separaters now, and don't signify flashbacks ^.^ Also, please keep in mind that Celeria's story only took an hour or so to tell, so Goten hasn't really been gone all that long.  
  
  
************  
  
"She's weak." Vegeta scoffed, contempt ringing in his tone. He meant, of course, Celeria, who was sitting up in the hospital bed chatting with Bulma. "For all we know, she's lead Freiza's clone directly to us."  
  
"Can we trust her?" Trunks asked, glancing over to the girl. He'd devolped a liking to her, as he'd been the first to meet her. He felt a personal responsibility over her.  
  
"The Celeria I know would never hurt us willingly." Gohan said thoughtfully.  
  
"But..."  
  
"But she's changed. Which is understandable with all she's been through, but she could still be under Char's influence." Gohan said. "What do you think, dad? Dad?" He turned to find his father deep in thought. When he felt Gohan's eyes on him, he shook his head as if to clear it, then replied.  
  
"There is no way to tell. I don't think she'll turn on us and attack. But whether she knows it or not, she's brought Char to Earth." Each of the warriors extended their senses. Indeed, far away they felt the energy- or lack thereof- that charachterized the lizard's prescence. Vegeta tensed visibly.  
  
"I've had enough of that pest. I'm going to go finish him- for good this time!"  
  
"Not a good idea," Warned Piccolo solemnly. "If you'd payed attention, you'd note that he is stronger."  
  
"We can take him- right?" Trunks asked. Goku was frowning deeply.  
  
"This just might be Freiza all over again." Further discussion was suddenly cut off when Celeria let out a small yelp and fell right off the bed.  
  
"What *now*?" Wondered Vegeta.  
  
"He's here!" She exclaimed. The Z warriors glanced at each other.  
  
"We know. He's hiding out in one of his fortresses." Gohan said soothingly. Celeria looked puzzled.  
  
"How can you tell?" She asked. Her senses weren't as developed as the rest of the warriors.  
  
"In all of the other attempts he made, he always had a very unique ki signature. He didn't have one." Goku explained. Celeria quirked an eyebrow. "How did *you* know if you can't sense it?"  
  
"The chip in my brain had some side effects," She stated breifly. "But... something's wrong with Goten! His ki is way down! Now are we going to go fight him or not? That IS what I was testing you for in your dreams. And, poor as you did, I think you're ready."  
  
"Ok, let's go." Trunks said, reaching out for his friend's ki... indeed, it was far off course and low. This changed everything. Celeria raised an eyebrow again.  
  
"He's a lot stronger. And he can put a damper on your ki, so-"  
  
"You should have mentioned that sooner!" Exclaimed Gohan. "Will we have to counter it? Can we push through it?" He immediately began listing problems and strategies. Vegeta rolled his eyes.  
  
"Whatever he has ready for us, we can beat it! Let's go!" He urged. For once, Piccolo was in agreement with the Prince. So were the rest of the Saiyans. Celeria was adament.  
  
"You can't go rushing in to this! You don't know what he's prepared!"  
  
"How do you suggest we find out then?" Growled Piccolo. Goku was begining to get befuddled. Everyone was changeing their positions on the matter. Celeria smiled.  
  
"I've had a lot of time to think this out..."  
  
*********  
  
Presently, Goten came around to consciousness. He was broken and bloodied, his tongue dry from lack of use. The stagnant tang of blood lingered in the back of his mouth. He had been used as a human (well, part human) punching bag nonstop since he was brought here, and all the while his invisible assailant threw insults and challenges at him... or rather, his father. Humans only have so much patience in them. Saiyans have much less. It wasn't long before he finally snapped.  
  
"Enough already!" He exploded, forcing his chi down to avoid any unpleasant shocks, so to speak. The invisible assault stopped momentarily, and the verbal began.  
  
"So has the mighty Goku finished his attack?" The stranger taunted. "How did I ever survive?" Goten could practically feel the smirk stamped across his face. That was ok. He had a few surprises of his own to reveal.  
  
"I'm not Son Goku." Almost immediately he sensed hesitation.  
  
"Do not lie to me!" Goten found a fist in his stomache. He spat out the blood. Now there were two choises to consider. He could either claim his father had died already and make up a story to go with it, or tell his reptilian friend where Goku really was. Goten would not consider giving out the latter information to the enemy even for a second. But he knew his father, Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, and Trunks would be far more than this second rate villain could handle. In fact, as soon as Goten broke free he would join them and seal the idiot's fate. All in all, the second choice seemed best.  
  
"I would never lie to such a close acquaintance." He said, making the sarcasm in his voice ostentatiously apparant. "But I can tell you where to find him." Now the half Saiyan sensed confusion and suspicion.  
  
"How do I know you are who you claim to be? And even if you are, why would you sell out your father? And if you did tell me his location, how can I be sure you are not lying about that too?" Goten rolled his eyes upward. This guy was slightly paranoid. But he did think of everything. Goten's assailant brushed aside his offer and they continued in their hourly meetings.  
  
Finally, Goten took steps. As the attacker came in for another round, Goten swung his feet out, instinctively knowing where the opponent was. His kick caught an unsuspecting lizardish creature beneath the shoulders. With a mighty flex of his legs, he swung around and sent Char careening into a wall. There was a pregnant pause and the lights switched on. Goten squinted in the sudden bright light, and caught his first glimpse of the 'mysterious' abductor.  
  
He was red, with silver spots on his head, shoulders. He looked exactly like the final form of Freiza. Literally, he was something out of the bedtime stories his father used to tell him. He was Char, cousin of Freiza, and Goten knew him, though not personally.  
  
But this was not all the young demi-Saiyan saw. On the far wall, held up by their wrists in ordinary bonds (and quite unconscious) were four girls. Another fairy tail come to life for Goten.  
  
*****  
  
"I don't see how this is really necessary." Gohan said. They were outdoors, and Celeria was attempting to teach him how to alter his appearance.  
  
"Do you want to rescue Goten?" She asked archly.  
  
"Well of course. But this seems like a round-about way to do it. We could take him by surprise, and-" He stopped short at the look his 'aunt' gave him.  
  
"He's at least strong enough to take on your father and Vegeta. Do you want to rush in unprepared? For all we know he's already implanted a chip in Goten's brain and switched him to the dark side..."  
  
"Yes, Celeria." Gohan conceded in the tone he normally used for Piccolo. Everyone else was in doors, except Bulma, who had a tape recorder, old scouter, and laptop ready for action.  
  
*****  
  
Goten found himself being lowered to the floor- quite a distance away, as he had originally suspected. When his feet finally touched, the bonds quickly snaked away from him leaving mean looking red welts and tearing the front of his gi, which was pretty soiled anyway. But that didn't matter to much; his arms were asleep from the shoulder down. Still, he lifted them slowly into a defensive position and looked warily around. Char was nowhere in sight or sense.   
  
Then, suddenly, there he was, blurring into sight right in front of an astounded Goten. He took a startled step back. Then crouched back into a fighting stance. Char simply smirked and crossed his arms over his chest in a very Freiza-like way.  
  
"If I was ready to kill you, I would have done so already," With that, he turned his back. Goten attacked immediately, aiming a foot at the lizard's head. Char flicked his tail up with a sharp snap, caught Goten around the ankle, and sent him flying into a wall, all in one smooth motion. The Saiyan-gone-projectile heard a distinct crack- perhaps bone, perhaps wall. The girls hanging there stirred breifly; they were returning to consciousness. Goten pulled himself to a feet, and began gathering his energy before Char started attacking again. He realized now, this wasn't a fight to free himself; the four girls' lives were on the line as well. He strove for Super Saiyan level.  
  
In reality, Goten needn't have worried at all about the time it took to power up. Char was content to give him all the time in the world, then beat him into the ground when he was through. It very well would have gone that way if a resounding bang, followed by an explosion and plenty of debris, hadn't rocked the fortress just as Goten burst into his heightened form. Both warriors turned to face a large, jagged hole in the wall. Facing West, the wall was emitting the last radient light from a setting sun. Three figures stood silouhetted against it. All in all, it was quite a dramatic scene.  
  
"Well well well, the peanut gallery has arrived." Murmured the lizard. Goten ignored this, and flew to join Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha.  
  
"How'd you guys know what was going on?" Goten muttered as the four stared down the one.  
  
"We CAN still sense ki, Goten." Krillin said. "We may have missed out dealing with this guy the first couple times, but now we're here to finish him." Goten smiled and shook his head as the four crouched simultaneously into defensive positions.  
  
"That's so cute. Your friends have come to save you. But where's your brat and your prince?" Char goaded. Krillin Tien and Yamcha shot questioning looks at Goten.  
  
"He thinks I'm my dad." Growled Goten, impatient to begin. The others nodded and shot after the monster, all blurs undetectable to an untrained eye. But Char was quite trained...  
  
******  
  
As one, all of the Saiyans and Piccolo jumped up, no matter where they were in the Capsule Corp. All ran out to the front lawn, Bulma chasing after them, wondering what was going on.  
  
"Looks like our friend's ki sheild has been breached," Piccolo said.  
  
"Goten's there." Goku said, looking in the direction of the fortress. "As are Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin." He grinned suddenly. Celeria returned it.  
  
"So I finally get to meet all of your old gang. All right, screw the plan, let's go!" Five kis flared and took off.  
  
*****  
  
Four pairs of eyes opened slowly. Four minds became unpleasantly aware of their surroundings. Four sets of arms struggled in vain against their bonds. Four authors were annoyed.  
  
"Are you guys all here?" Mystic G wondered aloud. She received three affirmative replies.  
  
"Looks like we've been abducted again. Have we you to thank, Mystic?" Chelsee asked. None of the girls were able to turn their heads to look at the others. It was somewhat awkward.  
  
"Uh-uh, wasn't me this time! I have no idea what's going on!"  
  
"Guys, the fighting's started without us!" Daughter of Chaos exclaimed seeing the dust rising outside the gaping hole in the wall across the room.  
  
"How rude... wait a sec, no Gohan!" barbo-chan hissed worriedly. The other three directed their attention to the barely-visible participants. She was right- no Gohan.  
  
"Who are they fighting? I can't even tell..." Mystic G wondered.  
  
"Who cares; they're losing! Where's my sword?" Demanded DoC. Four weapons lay on a table that no one had before noticed. barbo-chan grinned.  
  
"This is not a problem. My staff will extend to me if I try hard enough. I can hook your sword and get it over here."  
  
"But our hands- we can't use them to grip anything." Chelsee pointed out. The point was dropped as each of the authors went into sullen meditation on how to escape.  
  
A solution presented itself presently. Five figures, rippling in ki, anger, and excitement, arrived on the scene. The fighting stopped, and all of the Z senshi grouped together in front of Char- nine very angry warriors, both human and not against one over-inflated lizard. not good odds.  
  
Gohan looked at Char, his battered brother, and the captive authors, made a growling noise in his throat, and stalked purposefully toward where the four were held, daring Char to attack while his back was turned. The newly arrived powered up nearly all the way, however, clearly stating that it would not be a good idea. Gohan swiped the ordinary bonds off easily and the four authors dropped the short distance to the floor.  
  
"I'm not even gonna ask what you're doing here this time. You can tell me after we pound this guy into the dust. Again." He joined his friends and powered up, stopping short of his mystic stage for fear of wrecking the Earth.   
  
"So what are we here for?" Chelsee wondered, massaging her wrists.  
  
"Doubtless our sunburned friend over there wanted to use these against the Z senshi." barbo-chan stated, walking over to the table and picking up her staff. She swung it through the air a few times before letting it rest at her side. the rest of the authors joined her.  
  
"Doesn't seem to be working, does it?" DoC stated. "Perhaps we should go a little further away just in case."  
  
"Yeah, doesn't seem like they need our help." Mystic G said, looking at the pitiful orange form being flung around. "They're powered up so it would take longer to affect them, I believe." This said, the authors found the proper door (the one NOT blown in the wall) and wandered down a short expanse of hallway. The door at the end opened on the desert-like plain the fortress was situated on. The authors walked a distance, around to the other side and had a clear view of the fight.  
  
"I wonder what the range of Saiyan-harming power on these things is..." DoC wondered, hefting her sword. As if to answer, Goten went flying due to a lucky shot from Char.  
  
"We should go a little farther I think." And so they did. They needn't have worried however, as not ten minutes later the nine warriors desended on them, none the worse for wear and tear. Goten grinned, creating a replica of Goku.  
  
"That guy is history."  
  
"Totally dead?" Chelsee asked.  
  
"Not even ashes." The authors all grinned.  
  
"Just like that? Then why the Hell were we even brought here?!" Demanded Mystic G. "No chips implanted, no mind control..." She trailed off. "I don't even remember how we got here."  
She looked at her fellow authors. All shook their heads. None of them remembered.  
  
"Well let's just go home. Mystic?" DoC said. Mystic G pulled out one of her arrows, and was about to transport them back home when an aircar suddenly breezed in.  
  
"Wait a second!" Yajirobe jumped out of the car, counted heads, and grunted. "Kami wants to see you all."  
  
"What for?" Growled Piccolo. He had no desire to see his counterpart. Yajirobe shrugged.  
  
"All of us?" Asked barbo-chan.   
  
"Yes, all of you. Are you gonna go or what?"  
  
"Yeah, we'll be there." Goku said. Yajirobe grunted again and got into his car to speed off. The Z fighters prepared to take off.  
  
"Wait a sec, we can't fly!" Protested Chelsee. Mystic G quickly shoved her arrow back into the quiver. Gohan caught the look they were giving him.  
  
"Oh no! I'm not carrying all of you!" The authors looked at eachother.  
  
"Now guys, I'm sure there's a mature way to handle this." DoC said.   
  
"First one to catch him wins!" Proclaimed Mystic G, reaching for her arrows, which gave her speed.  
  
"And no weapons!" barbo-chan said, looking pointedly at a guilty Mystic G. She put down her bow and quiver. Gohan was edging back slightly.  
  
"Ready, set, GO!"  
  
*****  
  
Roughly an hour later (hey, you try and see how long it takes YOU to catch a demi saiyan) Chelsee was riding content in Gohan arms. DoC was nearby with Goten, barbo-chan with Goku, and Celeria carrying Mystic G. And onward to Kami's lookout hey went, all wondering what the Gaurdian wanted...  
  
  
  
******  
  
  
That's it. The God-Blessed End! Bye-bye char. forever! muh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! The end of breakdown- the fic that started so promising and then quickly went down the drain! that said, i'd like to thank you few but faithful who stuck with me through this horrid thing. I am NOT fond of this fic! can you tell?? if you like it, that's great, but i do not. it's got some good parts, but it's poorly written. sort of slapped together. There, I just reviewed my self . Also, if you're wondering why ended it so abruptly, it was really just an elaborate setup to tie loose ends and get the chars in place for my next fic. Oh, and if any of the three authors happen to be reading this, I just drew names to decide who rides with whom... well that's that. I don't mind telling you the next fic will be the end of the Ice saga. If you're not all disgusted with me, I suggest you read it. It promises to be better than this one. I just need to know on thing- what's the name of the species who shared the planet with the Saiyans? help is appreciated. ta for now!  
  
~mysticGohan33~  
  
  
  
  



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